World Cup 26

The World Cup 2026 will turn North America into the biggest football festival ever staged. A record of 48 national teams will play 104 matches across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico over 39 days.

The match allocation is 78 games in the U.S., 13 in Mexico and 13 in Canada. Eleven U.S. cities, three Mexican cities and two Canadian cities — from Los Angeles to Toronto, from Monterrey to Seattle — will host the action. Key venues include AT&T Stadium, SoFi Stadium, NRG Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, BC Place, BMO Field, Estadio BBVA, Estadio Akron and, of course, the iconic Estadio Azteca.

How the teams arrive at the World Cup

Argentina arrive as defending champions, with a settled core and the fresh memory of their 2022 triumph. France, Brazil and England also start among the main favourites, boasting star-studded squads with deep experience in the latter stages. Spain and Germany, together with emerging nations such as Japan and the United States, will try to challenge the dominance of the traditional giants.

World Cup 2026 schedule

• Opening match (11 June): the tournament will kick off with the clash between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday 11 June at Estadio Azteca.
• Group stage (11–27 June): 12 groups of 4 teams each, with highlight fixtures such as Brazil vs Morocco, France vs Senegal or England vs Croatia.
• Round of 32 (28 June–3 July): the top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed sides, face single-elimination ties spread across host cities all over the continent.
• Round of 16 (5–8 July): the remaining contenders battle in direct elimination duels where a single mistake can send home even the biggest favourites.
• Quarter-finals (9–12 July): only eight nations are left and every game feels like a final in some of the largest stadiums in the United States.
• Semi-finals (14–15 July): Four teams fight for a place in the grand final, with matches scheduled in Atlanta and Dallas.
• Final (19 July): MetLife Stadium will crown the new world champions and bring 39 unforgettable days of football across North America to a close.