2026 World Cup guide: What to know for world's biggest sporting event
It’s finally here. After years of preparation and anticipation, the 2026 World Cup begins this week.
It’s the biggest FIFA World Cup ever, with a record 48 teams set to play a record 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Above video: Don't get scammed on World Cup tickets
It’s only the second time the U.S. has hosted the World Cup, with the first in 1994. Mexico has hosted twice before, while Canada welcomed the women’s World Cup in 2015, but never hosted the men’s tournament.
The scale of the event reflects the World Cup's global importance. It’s the most-watched sporting event in the world, drawing fans across continents and giving national teams a rare opportunity to compete on soccer's biggest stage.
For viewers, the 2026 World Cup will include a new format, more participating nations and a broad slate of games across North America. Here's what to know about the teams, schedule, venues and key details surrounding this year's tournament.
When and where is it taking place?
The World Cup will officially kick off June 11 in Mexico City, where one of three opening ceremonies will take place. The first match of the tournament features Mexico and South Africa.
The final match will be held July 19 at MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets. The final will include the first World Cup halftime show, which is already drawing comparisons to the Super Bowl tradition. But we’ll talk more about the halftime show and opening ceremonies in a few.
Matches for the 2026 World Cup are being held at 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Many of the stadiums have been renamed by FIFA for the duration of the tournament because the companies that paid for the naming rights are not FIFA sponsors.
You can see a full list of stadiums plus a list of which matches each stadium will be hosting by clicking here.
The format: How does the tournament work?
This is the first time the World Cup will feature 48 teams, so the format will be slightly different.
It starts with the group stage, then heads to knockout rounds.
Group stage: Each of the 48 teams has been split into 12 groups of four teams, decided by the World Cup draw in December. The teams in each group play each other once, meaning all nations will play a minimum of three games at the tournament. The top two teams from each group are guaranteed to advance, as will the eight best third-place teams. Teams finishing fourth in groups are eliminated.
Knockout stage: The 32 surviving teams after the group stage will enter a single-elimination tournament, with one exception: The teams that lose in the semifinals will advance to a third-place match the day before the World Cup final.
Group breakdown
The 48 teams have been split up into the following 12 groups. Each group is a mini-league, with final rankings based on the number of points each team gets from its three matches. A win gets you three points, a draw gets you one and a loss gets you absolutely nothing at all.
The top two teams in each group will advance, as well as the eight best third-place teams.
- Group A: Mexico, South Korea, Czechia, South Africa
- Group B: Switzerland, Canada, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
- Group D: United States, Turkey, Australia, Paraguay
- Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
- Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Congo, Uzbekistan
- Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Tournament dates
The FIFA World Cup runs June 11 through July 19. Below is a breakdown of dates by stage.
- Group stage: June 11-June 27
- Round of 32: June 28-July 3
- Round of 16: July 4-7
- Quarterfinals: July 9-11
- Semifinals: July 14 and 15
- Third-place match: July 18
- World Cup final: July 19
Who are the favorites?
The last six World Cups have seen six different champions — Argentina in 2022, France in 2018, Germany in 2014, Spain in 2010, Italy in 2006 and Brazil in 2002.
Argentina is trying to do something that hasn't been done in generations: win back-to-back World Cups. The only nations to achieve that feat were Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).
Spain (+450) is the World Cup betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by France (+550), England (+650), Brazil (+800), Argentina (+800) and Portugal (+1000).
The U.S. has odds of +4000.
The longest shots in the field? That would be Haiti and Curacao, both currently at +250000, meaning a $100 bet on either of those nations would return $250,000 if they were to win the World Cup.
What about the U.S. team?
The U.S. is considered a bit of a long shot to win the World Cup.
But being a host nation has its perks. Historically, 77% of all World Cup host nations have reached at least the quarterfinals.
Since placing third at the 1930 World Cup, the closest the U.S. has come to a World Cup final was in 2002 when they reached the quarterfinals and finished eighth overall. The U.S. has reached the round of 16 the last three times they qualified for the World Cup.
Here’s how to watch the U.S. team this year in group play:
- U.S. vs. Paraguay at Inglewood, California, on June 12
- U.S. vs. Australia at Seattle on June 19
- U.S. vs. Turkey at Inglewood, California, on June 25
If the Americans win their group, they would play a Round of 32 game at Santa Clara, California on July 1. If the Americans finish second in the group, they would play July 3 in Arlington, Texas. They could also advance with a third-place finish in the group.
Opening ceremonies and halftime show
The 2026 World Cup will also have some major star power, showcased at the tournament’s three opening ceremonies and at halftime of the championship.
Three host nations mean three opening ceremonies, with A-list artists setting the tone.
- On June 11, Shakira and Burna Boy will perform in Mexico City for the first of three opening ceremonies at the World Cup. The music stars will perform Dai Dai, the official song for the tournament, ahead of the opening game between co-host Mexico and South Africa.
- Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé headline in Toronto on June 12 ahead of Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Later that day, Katy Perry, global pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema, Brazilian pop artist Anitta, and hip-hop artist Future are performing in Los Angeles before the U.S. faces Paraguay.
Then comes the Super Bowl-style final halftime show, headlined by Madonna, Shakira and South Korean boy band BTS.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the massive spectacle would bring together “music and football on the biggest stage in sport for a very special cause.â€
The show will be curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, who came up with the idea four years ago while watching the previous World Cup.
How to watch
Fox Sports is the English-language home in the U.S. for the World Cup, with 70 matches set to be aired on Fox and 34 more on FS1. All matches will stream live on Fox One and the Fox Sports app.
Spanish-speaking viewers in the U.S. will be able to watch on NBCUniversal's Telemundo and Universo.
Peacock, FuboTV, Hulu, YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream will also offer some matches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
