Following on from Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina’s World Cup success in Qatar 2022, the next edition of the showpiece international football tournament is set to be the biggest and boldest ever.
There will be more nations, more games, and almost certainly more goals when the action gets underway, across three host nations.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This tri-nation bid to host the 23rd edition of the World Cup triumphed over Morocco following the outcome at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow in 2018, by 134 votes to 65. Amongst the members, there were three abstentions and one vote for neither of the bids.
We have all the information you need regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so tread further for more.
Is the 2026 World Cup in summer or winter?
Following the anomaly for most of a winter World Cup, as was the case with Qatar in 2022, the tournament returns to a more familiar summer slot for 2026.
The World Cup will take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico across June and July.
World Cup 2026 dates: 11 June June to 19 July
FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup will kick off on 11 June and end on 19 July. The stadiums for this event have been chosen, including the various matches.
When will the 2026 World Cup draw be made?
We've barely begun qualification yet, so it won't be for a while. The World Cup draw is normally made between six and nine months before the tournament.
Ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the draw took place on 1 December 2017.
Before the Qatar edition in December 2022, the draw was completed on 1 April 2022.
So, expect the draw for the 2026 World Cup to take place at the end of 2025.
How many teams will be at the World Cup 2026?
A change of format for the next World Cup will see an increase from 32 to a massive 48 nations taking part in the final tournament, meaning a lot more football to be played.
How many games will be played at the 2026 World Cup?
According to the fixture schedule announced by FIFA on February 2024, there will be one hundred and four matches in the 2026 World Cup, a significant increase from 64, the number of games played since France 1998.
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Tune into the #FIFAWorldCup 2026 Match Schedule Announcement at 3PM EST/9PM CET! ?
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) February 4, 2024
What other changes to the format?
There have been some significant alterations made to the usual World Cup format.
Sixteen host cities will provide the backdrop for the tournament, which will consist of 48 participating nations split into 12 groups of 4 teams. As usual, the top two will progress to the knockout stages, but due to the increase in numbers, the best third-place sides will also qualify for the new round of 32.
Where is the 2026 World Cup being hosted
Where are the 2026 World Cup host cities?
The bidding process has been completed, and the 16 host cities are confirmed. Across the three host nations, the logistics have been split into three geographical locations: west, central, and east. The US has 11 host locations, two in Canada, and three in Mexico.
West Region
- BC Place, Vancouver: 54,500
- Lumen Field, Seattle: 69,000 (expandable to 72,000)
- Levi's Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area: 68,500 (expandable to 75,000)
- Estadio Akron, Guadelajara: 49,850
- SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles: 70,240 (expandable to 100,240)
Central Region
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City: 76,416
- AT&T Stadium, Dallas: 80,000 (potentially 105,000)
- NRG Stadium, Houston: 72,220 (expandable to 80,000)
- Estadio BBVA, Monterrey: 53,500 (Bid book: 53,460)
- Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: 87,523
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: 71,000 (expandable to 83,000)
East Region
- BMO Field, Toronto: 30,000 (expanding to 45,500)
- Gillette Stadium, Boston: 68,878
- MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey: 82,500
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: 69,796
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami: 64,767 (Bid book: 67,518)
Have the nations previously hosted a World Cup?
Mexico will have its moment again, following on from 1970 and 1986. It will become the first country to host the men's World Cup three times, a fine accolade.
The USA will be the first nation to host both the men's and women's World Cups twice, following on from the senior men's competition in 1994, and the women's in 1999 and 2003.
Canada will have the honour of co-hosting the men’s World Cup for the first time, having hosted the Women's World Cup back in 2015.
Notably, Toronto hosted FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1957. Guadalajara hosted the event in 1970 and 1988, so this will be the third time that the Mexican city will host the football spectacle.
FAQs about the 2026 FIFA World Cup
How can I book tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
While you cannot book FIFA 2026 World Cup tickets at the moment, you can register your interest as early as now by visiting the official website of the World Football governing body. Once on the website, enter your official ID and click ‘send'.
Go to your mailbox for details. Note that once you have registered your email as your ID, you will receive frequent updates about the 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets.
Who has qualified for the World Cup in 2026?
At this point, only the hosts (USA, Canada, Mexico) have qualified with all of the other confederations still to complete their qualifying stages. These nations qualified to participate in the competition on 14 February 2024.
Which stadium will host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup?
The first game, a group A fixture, will be played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico between the host (Mexico) and a team that will be announced before the clash scheduled for 11 June 2026.
Which venue will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final?
The final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be staged at New York New Jersey Stadium on 19 July 2024.
When was the first time that the 2026 World Cup hosts qualified to participate in the upcoming event?
The first time that Canada qualified for a World Cup tournament was in 1982. Mexico's first appearance in the tournament was in 1930 while the USA made their first appearance in the contest in 1930 as well.
Which 2026 World Cup host has had the most consecutive appearances in the tournament?
Mexico had had a record nine consecutive appearances in the competition while the USA and Canada have each had two consecutive appearances in the competition.