World Cup 2026 FAQ

The FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from 11 June 2026 to 19 July 2026 — 39 days of football across three host nations.

It is jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, across 16 host cities: 11 in the U.S., 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada.

48 teams compete at the 2026 World Cup — up from 32 in 2022. It is the first ever 48-team World Cup.

104 matches in total: 72 group-stage matches across 12 groups, then 16 in the Round of 32, 8 Round of 16, 4 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals, a third-place play-off and the Final.

48 teams are split into 12 groups of 4. The top two teams from each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams advance to a Round of 32. From there the tournament is single-elimination.

The Final is at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (the New York / New Jersey host city) on Sunday 19 July 2026, kick-off 3:00 p.m. local time (19:00 UTC).

Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 11 June 2026 — making Azteca the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups (1970, 1986, 2026).

Mexico opens the tournament in Mexico City (Group A). The U.S. play Group D at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and other U.S. venues. Canada play Group B with two matches in Toronto and one in Vancouver.

Mexico: Group A (with South Africa, South Korea, Czechia). Canada: Group B (with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland). United States: Group D (with Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye).

Argentina, who won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by beating France on penalties in the Final. They are in Group J in 2026.

Yes — Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are all making their FIFA World Cup debuts in 2026.

Because there are 32 teams in the first knockout round (up from 16), every group winner avoids other group winners until later rounds, while the 8 best third-placed teams enter the bracket against group winners.

The Final Draw took place on 5 December 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Tickets are sold exclusively through FIFA.com/tickets. The Last-Minute Sales Phase began on 1 April 2026 and runs to the end of the tournament. Resale is also handled on FIFA.com.

Dallas (AT&T Stadium) hosts 9 matches — the most outside the Final venue — including a semi-final. Atlanta and Los Angeles host 8 each.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, capacity 82,500. It will be branded "New York New Jersey Stadium" during the tournament under FIFA's clean-venue policy.

Yes. All NFL stadiums with artificial surfaces will install temporary natural grass pitches for the tournament, as required by FIFA.

Matches stretch across five time zones from Pacific (Vancouver, LA, Seattle, SF) through Mountain, Central (Dallas, Houston, KC, Mexico City), Eastern (Toronto, NYC, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston) and AT&T Stadium's local Central time.

Yes. Video Assistant Referee is standard at the World Cup, supplemented by semi-automated offside technology, as introduced at the 2022 tournament.

Most international visitors need a B-1/B-2 visa for the U.S., an eTA or visa for Canada, and a tourist visa or FMM card for Mexico. FIFA Fan ID-style arrangements may streamline border crossings between host countries — check the FIFA site closer to the tournament.

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, 18 July 2026.

90 minutes plus stoppage time in the group stage. Knockout matches level after 90 minutes go to two 15-minute periods of extra time, then a penalty shoot-out if still level.

In the U.S., Fox (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) hold the rights. In Canada, TSN/CTV. In the UK, BBC and ITV. International rights vary — FIFA publishes the full list of broadcasters.

Adidas will provide the official match ball, as for every FIFA World Cup since 1970. The 2026 ball name and design will be unveiled by FIFA before the tournament.

See our /schedule page for every group, knockout round and venue. We update it as FIFA confirms kickoff times.