The wait is over. The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off June 11 with Mexico facing South Africa at the legendary Estadio Azteca, the first of 104 matches spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada over the next five and a half weeks. This is the largest World Cup ever staged, with 48 teams, 16 host cities, and a format nobody has seen before. Argentina arrives as the defending champion, Spain arrives as the favorite, and a continent arrives ready to host the world.
Here is the complete guide to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 expands from 32 to 48 teams, a 50 percent increase over the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The 48 nations are divided into 12 groups of four, with each team playing three group matches. The top two teams from every group advance, joined by the eight best third-place finishers, creating a brand-new Round of 32 and a knockout bracket deeper than any in tournament history.
FIFA has also redesigned the bracket itself. Two separate pathways to the semifinals ensure that the two highest-ranked group winners cannot meet before the final, a structural tweak aimed at protecting competitive balance deep into the knockout rounds.
The group stage runs June 11 through June 27, with the knockout rounds beginning shortly after. The semifinals take place July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and July 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The final is set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, referred to during the tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium. Sixteen stadiums share hosting duties, including the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, BMO Field in Toronto, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and venues in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Miami, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.
Spain is the consensus favorite to win the FIFA World Cup 2026, backed by 19 of ESPN's global writers, prediction markets, and the Opta supercomputer. France is the clear second pick, while England, Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal complete the leading group of contenders.
The depth of the consensus around Spain is striking. The European champions were the only nation to appear on every ballot in ESPN's 19-writer poll, with Spain and France combining for 16 of the 19 winner votes. The supercomputer models agree, giving La Roja roughly a 17 percent chance of lifting the trophy. The team built around Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and a midfield with no obvious weakness has been the best side in the world for two years.
The fascinating outlier is Argentina. Seven ESPN writers expect Lionel Messi and the defending champions to make another deep run, yet not a single one picked them to actually repeat. No nation has defended the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and the weight of that history hangs over everything La Albiceleste does this summer.
Lamine Yamal enters the tournament as the overwhelming pick for best young player, chosen by 13 of ESPN's 19 writers, with five predicting he wins the Golden Ball outright at just 18 years old. Kylian Mbappé is the leading Golden Boot candidate, while Lionel Messi, the only player ever to win the Golden Ball twice, chases an unprecedented third in what is almost certainly his final World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, leads a Portugal squad many consider the most talented of his international career, with Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, and João Neves behind him.
The United States enters its home World Cup in Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, opening June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. Mauricio Pochettino's side plays its group matches in Inglewood and Seattle, with home crowds expected to be a genuine factor.
Yahoo Sports' power rankings place the USMNT in the middle tier of the 48-team field, a fair reflection of a young squad with real attacking talent but limited tournament pedigree. The draw is kind. Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye are all beatable, and with the top two from each group advancing plus eight third-place teams, the United States advancing out of the group is the expectation rather than the hope. The honest ceiling, according to most analysts, is the quarterfinals, which would match the best American run of the modern era. Canada, drawn into a favorable Group B on home soil, and Mexico, opening the tournament at the Azteca, carry similar hopes for the other two hosts.
The expanded field changes the mathematics of the tournament. With 8 of 12 third-place teams reaching the Round of 32, more nations than ever have a realistic path to the knockout stage, and a single upset can reshape an entire side of the bracket. Analysts at Yahoo and FOX Sports note that while only a dozen teams can realistically win the trophy, the new format gives dark horses like Belgium, Morocco, Colombia, and Norway more room to build momentum than any previous World Cup.
History also offers a warning to the favorites. Pre-tournament favorites have won just three of the fifteen World Cups played since odds were first recorded in 1966. Spain may be the best team in the world right now, but five and a half weeks, 104 matches, and the chaos of tournament football have humbled better-looking certainties before. That is exactly why the next five weeks will stop the planet.
You can buy official FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets exclusively through FIFA's ticketing portal at FIFA.com/tickets. Tickets are sold in phases, with remaining inventory released throughout the tournament. FIFA's official resale platform is the only authorized way to buy tickets from other fans safely.
FIFA strongly warns against unofficial resale sites, where tickets are frequently invalid or fraudulent. Hospitality packages, which bundle premium seating with food and lounge access, are sold separately through FIFA's official hospitality partner On Location. Tickets for this tournament are fully digital and managed through the FIFA Tickets app, so there are no physical tickets to collect.
The full FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule is available on FIFA.com and the official FIFA app, covering all 104 matches with dates, kickoff times, and venues. Both update in real time as group standings settle and knockout matchups are confirmed.
The FIFA app is the most practical option during the tournament, offering personalized notifications for specific teams, live scores, and venue information. Major outlets including ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and FOX Sports also publish full schedules with broadcast details for viewers in the United States, where FOX holds English-language rights.
You can follow official FIFA World Cup 2026 updates on the @FIFAWorldCup accounts on X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, plus FIFA's official Facebook page. The FIFA app delivers official news, lineups, and highlights directly, making it the most complete single source.
Individual host city accounts and national team channels offer more focused coverage, and FIFA publishes behind-the-scenes content, press conferences, and full match highlights on its YouTube channel throughout the tournament. For breaking news during matches, the @FIFAWorldCup X account remains the fastest official source.
You can volunteer for the FIFA World Cup 2026 through the official FIFA Volunteer Program at FIFA.com/volunteers. The program covers roles across all 16 host cities, from stadium operations and fan services to media support, transport, and hospitality assistance.
The main application waves for the tournament opened well in advance, and with the event now underway, remaining opportunities are limited to late-stage and standby roles in select host cities. Volunteers must be 18 or older and complete an application, interview, and training process. Anyone interested in future tournaments can register on the same portal to be notified when applications open.
Emerson Gray · Editor
Editor
