And then there were 64 -- or 42, or 22, depending on how you want to look at it.
In addition to the three hosts, 39 other teams have officially qualified for next summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. That leaves 22 teams to fight for the remaining six places: 16 UEFA sides for the four final spots from Europe, then two teams from CONCACAF, and one each from Asia, Oceania, Africa, and South America for the two spots from an intercontinental playoff.
When World Cup qualifying started in September 2023, there were 209 teams who, theoretically, could have won the World Cup.