World Cup 2026 Squad Deadlines: Every Date, Rule and Restriction Teams Are Now Up Against
Less than five weeks from kickoff in Mexico City, the preliminary 35–55-player longlists are due today, clubs release players May 25, final 23–26-man rosters land June 1, and FIFA confirms them on June 2. Here is the full timetable.
A ll 48 nations heading to the 2026 World Cup are now into the final stretch of squad preparation, with the tournament opener at Estadio Azteca between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa less than five weeks away. The next month is governed by a tight, FIFA-set calendar that runs from today's preliminary deadline through to FIFA's official confirmation of every squad on June 2.
The first hard deadline is today, May 11. National federations must submit a preliminary list containing a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 55 players — including at least four goalkeepers — plus up to 75 team officials covering coaches, doctors, managers and other staff. The longlist is not published; FIFA keeps it internally, but it becomes the binding pool from which any pre-tournament injury replacement must be drawn. Adjustments to the longlist itself are permitted in exceptional cases right up until the final list is submitted.
Several high-profile names are already locked out. Brazil have lost Rodrygo and Éder Militão to injury, while Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal are racing back from hamstring problems and are expected to be fit before the final lists are filed. Federations have wide latitude during the longlist phase to keep doubtful players in contention while medical staff complete fitness assessments.
The rest, release and preparation window begins on May 25, the day after the final round of club fixtures on May 24. From that point clubs are required to make their players available for national-team duty. A narrow carve-out, subject to FIFA approval, applies to players involved in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30, the UEFA Conference League final on May 28 and the CONCACAF Champions Cup final on May 30.
Between May 25 and June 1 each nation must trim its longlist down to a final squad of 23 to 26 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers. The 26-player ceiling, first introduced at Qatar 2022, has been retained to give coaches more cover against injury and accumulated fatigue across what is now the longest format in World Cup history. Federations are free to publish their squads before June 1 — many will — but the lists only become formally official once FIFA confirms them on June 2.
Replacement rules tighten sharply once the final squad is in. A player from the provisional list can only be brought in if there is a serious injury or illness, the swap must happen no later than 24 hours before that team's opening match, and FIFA's medical team lead must sign off based on the assessment of the affected player. Goalkeepers have a more generous regime: a keeper from the provisional pool can replace an injured or ill goalkeeper at any stage of the tournament.
Teams must arrive in their host country no later than five days before their first group game. With every nation entitled to a 26-man roster, a total of 1,248 footballers will travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico for the expanded tournament. The bracket itself has also grown to accommodate the new 48-team field: group stage from June 11 to 27, a new round of 32 from June 28 to July 3, round of 16 from July 4 to 7, quarterfinals July 9–11, semifinals July 14–15, third-place playoff on July 18 and the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.