The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The opening match is scheduled for 11 June in Mexico City, where Mexico will face South Africa. The final will take place in July in New York.
Never before have kick-off times at the World Cup been as varied as they are this year. There will be 16 different kick-off times throughout the tournament.
World Cup 2026 – which teams have qualified
This year, 48 countries are taking part in the World Cup finals – more than ever before. Jordan, Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Curaçao will be making their World Cup debuts in 2026.
With a population of just 156,000, this Caribbean island nation is even the smallest participant in the history of the World Cup.
All qualified teams
Association Country
- Europe (16) England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Scotland, Austria, Turkey, Sweden, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Africa (10) Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Asia and Australia (9) Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Australia, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq
- South America (6) Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia
North and Central America (6) USA, Mexico, Canada, Curaçao, Haiti, Panama - Oceania (1) New Zealand
2026 FIFA World Cup and tournament stadiums
A total of 16 host cities will host matches, with the majority of World Cup fixtures taking place in the USA. In addition to the final venue in New York/New Jersey, matches will also be held in Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. In Mexico, the World Cup stadiums are located in the capital, Mexico City, as well as in Monterrey and Guadalajara. There are also two host cities in Canada – Toronto and Vancouver. Dallas will host the most matches (nine games).
Mexico City (83,000 capacity)
- Matches: three group stage matches (including the opening match), one round of 32 match and one round of 16 match
- Host team: Club América
- This will be the first stadium to host matches at three Men’s World Cups (1970, 1986, 2026)
New York/New Jersey (82,500 capacity)
- Matches: five group matches, one round of 32 match, one round of 16 match and the final.
- Home teams: New York Giants and New York Jets (American football)
- Due to the major motorways surrounding the arena, European fans were warned in advance not to walk to the stadium.
Dallas (94,000 seats)
- Matches: five group matches, two round of 32 matches, one round of 16 match and one semi-final.
- Home team: Dallas Cowboys (American football)
- The world’s largest HD screen is installed here. Initially, it hung so low in the stadium that NFL players could hit it whilst passing.
Atlanta (75,000 seats)
- Matches: five group matches, one round of 32 match, one round of 16 match and one semi-final.
- Home team: Atlanta Falcons (American football)
- The stadium’s roof is often nicknamed ‘Megatron’s Butthole’ due to its shape.
Kansas City (73,000 capacity)
- Matches: four group stage matches, one round of 32 match, one quarter-final
- Home team: Kansas City Chiefs (American football)
- The stadium holds the record for the loudest atmosphere in the world (142.2 decibels).
San Francisco (71,000 seats)
- Matches: five group stage matches, one round of 32 match and one round of 16 match
- Home team: San Francisco 49ers (American football)
- It is informally known as ‘Jeans Field’ due to its sponsor, ‘Jeans’.
Los Angeles (70,000 capacity)
- Matches: five group stage matches, two round of 16 matches and one quarter-final
- Home teams: Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers (American football)
- This is the most expensive stadium in the world, costing around seven billion dollars to build.
Philadelphia (69,000 seats)
- Matches: five group stage matches and one round of 16 match
- Home team: Philadelphia Eagles (American football)
- The stadium once housed an internal prison with a functioning courtroom called ‘Eagles Court’
Seattle (69,000 seats)
- Matches: four group stage matches, one round of 16 match and one round of 16 match
- Home team: Seattle Seahawks (American football)
- Interesting fact: it has a specially designed roof that reflects the noise of the fans directly onto the pitch. The applause following touchdowns often caused seismographs in the region to register readings.
Boston (65,000 capacity)
- Matches: five group stage matches and one quarter-final
- Home team: New England Patriots (American football)
- Interesting fact: the stadium features a 66-metre-high lighthouse.
Miami (65,000 capacity)
- Matches: four group stage matches, one round of 16 match, one quarter-final and the third-place play-off
- Home team: Miami Dolphins (American football)
- During the stadium’s construction, the remains and artefacts of the indigenous Tekesti people were discovered here – to this day, a myth about a ‘curse’ surrounds the stadium.
Houston (72,000 capacity)
- Matches: five group stage matches, one round of 16 match and one round of 16 match
- Home team: Houston Texans (American football)
- It is fully air-conditioned and is therefore one of the few World Cup venues with a pleasant temperature, despite the Texas heat.
Vancouver (54,000 capacity)
- Matches: five group stage matches, one round of 16 match
- Home team: BC Popes (American football)
- Shortly after it opened, the band Weezy Woz built a huge sandy beach right on the pitch for a concert here in 1983.
Monterrey (53,500 capacity)
- Matches: three group stage matches and one round of 32 match
- Home team: FC Monterrey (football)
- The stadium boasts a stunning location set against the Sierra Madre mountains.
Guadalajara (48,000 capacity)
- Matches: four group stage matches
- Home team: Guadalajara (football)
- Interesting fact: it is built into a green hill and is said to resemble a volcano covered in drifting clouds.
Toronto (45,000 capacity)
- Matches: five group stage matches and one round of 16 match
- Home team: Toronto FC
- There are huge temporary steel stands here for the World Cup, which are referred to on social media as ‘rollercoasters’ due to their steep design.
The 2026 World Cup and new features
For the first time, the round of 32 will take place after the group stage. This means that 32 of the 48 participating teams will advance to the knockout stage. In addition to the top two teams from each of the twelve World Cup groups, the eight best third-placed teams will also qualify. Furthermore, for the first time, there will be a water break in each half of every match in the tournament – regardless of the weather. Water breaks are scheduled for the 22nd and 67th minutes and will last three minutes each. The 22nd and 67th-minute intervals are approximate; the three-minute interval is a fixed time slot.
From 11 June to 7 July, at least one World Cup match takes place every day. 8 July is the first day without matches, marking the transition from the round of 16 to the quarter-finals. Further days without matches are 12 and 13 July (after the quarter-finals) and 16 and 17 July (after the semi-finals).
World Cup 2026 – who will win
Argentina will enter the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the reigning champions. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi’s team defeated France in the final. After extra time, the thrilling final ended 3–3, with the South Americans winning 4–2 on penalties.
The two-time world champions, France, are considered by many analysts to be the hot favourites for the title. It will be interesting to see how national team manager Didier Deschamps manages to maintain balance within his star-studded squad, including Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Désiré Doué (PSG), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) and Ryan Cherki (Manchester City). Spain, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany also have a good chance of winning the title.
