The FIFA World Cup 2026 finals will take place from 11 June to 19 July in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the largest World Cup in history, expanding from 32 to 48 national teams.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, 48 teams will compete, replacing the 32-team format used since 1998. The three host nations—the United States, Mexico and Canada—receive automatic berths, while the remaining 45 teams qualified through a two-year qualifying process across six continental confederations.
The group stage consists of 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance directly to the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams. That means 32 of the 48 teams progress before a round of 32 is introduced to narrow the field further.
Total matches will be 104, including 72 group-stage games and 32 knockout matches, up from 64 at Qatar 2022.
Schedule and stadiums
The opening match takes place on 11 June at 13:00 local time (19:00 GMT) at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, where the host nation faces South Africa – a replay of the 2010 World Cup opener, which ended in a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg. The final will be held on Sunday, 19 July, at New York–New Jersey Stadium in the United States, which seats 82,500.
Matches are played across 16 cities in three countries. The United States will host the most games, 78, across 11 stadiums; Mexico and Canada will each stage 13 matches, on three and two venues respectively.
Prize money and history
This year’s champion will receive a record $50 million in prize money, up from $42 million at Qatar 2022. That figure has risen from $2.2 million in 1982. Brazil remains the most successful team with five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).
Mexico previously hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986; the United States hosted in 1994. Canada will be a first-time host. The winning team will lift the 18-carat gold trophy along with the record prize purse.
Follow the latest news, live scores and match schedules on the Al Jazeera World Cup 2026 page.
