By Norelys Arizabal
FIFA 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS : WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
The World Cup is one of the many sports tournaments that occur between nations, but it is the most meaningful. Beginning in 1930, the World Cup has evolved into a battle between nations to take home the trophy. It is a symbol of unity between different ethnic backgrounds, which was presented in Qatar, the most recent World Cup of 2022. In four years, Canada, Mexico, and the United States will be hosting the 2026 FIFA world cup, with 48 qualifying teams. Although 48 teams seems like a lot of countries that are going to be competing, around 100 teams are participating in a tournament to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
In South America alone, 10 teams are going head to head to qualify into the tournament. With Argentina being the winner of the FIFA 2023 World Cup, many people around the world are excited expecting Argentina to defeat every other South American team. Although Argentina is the highlight of the qualifiers, Ecuador has been having their time in the spotlight because of their player, 16 year old Kendry Páez. Ben Grounds states, “At 16 years and 161 days old, he became the youngest ever South American to score in a World Cup qualifier.” Not only does the qualifications of the World Cup bring us magnificent players, but it brings out the pride of nations to qualify to the tournament.
Along with South America, Europe has begun to get ready in the competitions for the qualifying tournament. 55 teams will be able to compete against each other to assure their spot in the 16 slots available in the World Cup. Although the European qualification competition is beginning in March 2026, European nations are preparing for their own tournament, the European Championship.