World Cup 2026 is still a couple of years away, but with more teams, more matches and more host countries than ever before, it's never too late to start learning everything about the tournament - especially when it's set to be, in many ways, the biggest World Cup we've ever seen.
Sure, there are many more international tournaments to worry about until then, but there's already plenty we know about World Cup 2026, as we delve into deeper below...
Where will World Cup 2026 take place?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
They were announced as joint hosts in 2018, winning their bid in a ballot among FIFA Congress member by 134 votes to 65 for Morocco, with three abstentions and one vote for none of the bids.
Mexico will become the first country to host the men's World Cup on three occasions, after 1970 and 1986, while the United States will be the first country to host both men's and women's World Cups twice each – after 1994 for the men's tournament, and 1999 and 2003 for the women's.
How many matches will be played at the World Cup 2026?
FIFA has announced that 48 teams will play at World Cup 2026, up from the 32 we've seen since the tournament was expanded in 1998. As a result, World Cup 2026 will feature 104 matches, the most in World Cup history, and up 40 matches from the 64 we've become accustomed to.
World Cup 2026 dates and fixtures
We're back to summer for the men's World Cup after World Cup 2022's winter sojourn.
World Cup 2026 will take place in June and July, with the first match being hosted by Mexico's Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026. The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the final, on July 19, 2026.
The group stages will run from June 11-27, with 72 games determining the teams to progress to the knockout stages. From there, the round of 32 will run from June 28-July 3, before the round of 16 immediately follows on July 4-7.
After a couple of days break, the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals run from July 9-11, with the semi-finals on July 14 & 15. Before the final on July 19, two teams will compete in the third-place play-off the day prior.
How to watch World Cup 2026
Here's how to watch World Cup 2026:
• UK: The rights to show the World Cup 2026 will be up for bids, but the tournament is on a government-mandated protected list, meaning it must be shown on free-to-air channels. Since 1966, rights have been split between the BBCand ITV, both non-subscription, free-to-air broadcasters that only require a UK TV license. It is likely they will submit a new joint bid for the rights.
• USA: Fox has broadcast rights for World Cup 2026 – without cable, you can get both channels on Sling Blue for $39.99 a month (with 50% off the first month), and Fubo TV, which is $69.99 after a seven-day free trial
• Canada: World Cup 2026 will be shown on CTV, TSN and RDS
• Australia: World Cup 2026 rights have not yet been confirmed
• New Zealand: World Cup 2026 rights have not yet been confirmed
Which countries have qualified for World Cup 2026?
Who has qualified for World Cup 2026? It's slim pickings so far – we only know the host teams:
- USA (hosts)
- Canada (hosts)
- Mexico (hosts)
How many teams will be at World Cup 2026?
There will be a staggering 48 teams competing at World Cup, expanded from 32.
How do teams qualify for World Cup 2026?
The qualification process for the next World Cup is currently underway.
FIFA has announced that CONCACAF (North America) will have six teams competing at the 2026 World Cup, meaning there are just three available slots due to hosts USA, Canada and Mexico already qualifying. CONMEBOL (South America) will also have six teams representing the continent.
AFC (Asia) have been awarded eight qualification spots, while CAF (Africa) have nine. OFC (Oceania) has just the one, with UEFA (Europe) being handed 16 spaces for the tournament. Six teams will then qualify through the play-offs, with each confederation receiving a certain number of spaces - except from UEFA, which won't have any teams competing in the play-offs.
What are the World Cup 2026 stadiums?
These are the World Cup 2026 stadiums:
- Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: 87,523
- MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey: 82,500 (bid book: 87,157)
- AT&T Stadium, Dallas: 80,000 (bid book: 92,967, potentially 105,000)
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City: 76,416 (bid book: 76,640)
- NRG Stadium, Houston: 72,220 (expandable to 80,000)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: 71,000 (bid book: 75,000, expandable to 83,000)
- SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles: 70,240 (expandable to 100,240)
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: 69,796 (bid book: 69,328)
- Lumen Field, Seattle: 69,000 (expandable to 72,000)
- Levi's Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area: 68,500 (Bid book: 70,909, expandable to 75,000)
- Gillette Stadium, Boston: 68,878 (Bid book: 70,000)
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami: 64,767 (Bid book: 67,518)
- BC Place, Vancouver: 54,500
- Estadio BBVA, Monterrey: 53,500 (Bid book: 53,460)
- Estadio Akron, Guadelajara: 49,850 (Bid book: 48,071)
- BMO Field, Toronto: 30,000 (Expanding to 45,500 for tournament)
