World Cup 2026: When is the squad announcement deadline?

Plenty of domestic and continental prizes are still on offer for clubs heading into the final stretch of the 2025-26 season, but the biggest sporting prize of them all is coming ever closer into view.

Amid increasing and justified concerns over extreme heat, tourist safety and extortionate ticket and travel prices in North America, 48 teams will do their utmost to make the World Cup 2026 tournament a sensational spectacle for fans.

As we speak, national team head coaches are drawing up their plans for global glory, while players are trying to strike that perfect balance between pursuing club ambitions and avoiding injuries that could dash their World Cup dreams.

But when exactly do countries have to announce their World Cup 2026 squads? Sports Mole has all the answers.

When is the World Cup 2026 preliminary squad deadline?

All 48 nations must submit a preliminary list of players for the 2026 World Cup to FIFA by May 11, marking exactly one month before the start of the competition, as Mexico and South Africa kick off proceedings on June 11.

Managers can select a minimum of 35 and up to 55 players for their provisional squads, which do not have to be made public by FIFA.

When is the World Cup 2026 final squad deadline?

Following the provisional squad submissions on May 11, countries will have until June 1 - 10 days before the tournament kicks off - to name their final squads for the competition.

How many players are allowed in a World Cup 2026 squad?

If a manager names a full 55-man provisional list for the competition, he or she would have to break nearly 30 hearts, as countries can only take a maximum of 26 players to the 2026 World Cup.

Nations can select any squad size from 23 to 26, but it would be a shock to see a head coach not name a full 26-man player list for the quadrennial event.

Can countries replace injured players in a World Cup 2026 squad?

In between the provisional and final squad announcement, if one or more players on the 35 to 55-man list suffer from injury, illness or any other World Cup-threatening ailment, managers can simply cut them from the final squad.

If a player is forced to withdraw from the World Cup after the final squad list has been announced, countries can replace them with another player up to 24 hours before their first match of the competition kicks off.

The replacement player did not have to have been named on the provisional list, but the withdrawn player must have been signed off by the team doctor and FIFA medical official stating that their injury or illness was severe enough to rule them out of the competition.