2026 FIFA World Cup

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2026 FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup 26 Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 (Spanish) Coupe du Monde de la FIFA 2026 (French)
Tournament details
Host countries	Canada Mexico United States
Dates	June 11 – July 19
Teams	48 (from 6 confederations)
Venue	16 (in 16 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	18
Goals scored	55 (3.06 per match)
Attendance	1,172,080 (65,116 per match)
Top scorers	Six players (2 goals each)
← 2022 2030 → All statistics correct as of June 16, 2026 (2 of 4 matches finished).

The 2026 FIFA World Cup^[A] is the current and 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament began on June 11, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude on July 19.^[2] It is jointly hosted by sixteen cities: eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The tournament is the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from the previous 32-team format.

The United 2026 bid beat a rival bid by Morocco during a final vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. It is the first World Cup since 2002 to be co-hosted by multiple nations. With its past hosting of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, Mexico became the first country to host or co-host the World Cup three times. The United States previously hosted the World Cup in 1994. By contrast, it is Canada's first time hosting or co-hosting the tournament. The event is returning to its traditional Northern Hemisphere summer schedule after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was uniquely held in November and December.

As the host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the United States all automatically qualified. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts. Argentina is the defending champion, having won its third World Cup in 2022.

Preparations for the tournament have drawn controversy, particularly over the United States's immigration and visa policies affecting qualified teams and their fans, Iran's participation during an ongoing war waged by the United States and Israel, and FIFA's use of dynamic ticket pricing.

The first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was scored by Julián Quiñones of Mexico against South Africa in the ninth minute of the opening match of the tournament, held on June 11, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City,^[3] this being the first time a player from a CONCACAF national team scored the first goal of a FIFA World Cup edition.^[4]

The idea of expanding the tournament had been suggested as early as 2013 by then UEFA president Michel Platini,^[5][6] and also in 2016 by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.^[7] Opponents of the proposal argued that the number of matches played was already at an unacceptable level, that the expansion would dilute the quality of the matches,^[8][9] and that the decision was driven by political rather than sporting concerns, accusing Infantino of using the promise of bringing more countries to the World Cup to win his election.^[10]

Starting with this edition, the FIFA World Cup expanded to 48 teams, an increase of 16 teams compared to the previous seven tournaments.^[11] The teams will be split into twelve groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to a new round of 32, as approved by the FIFA Council on March 14, 2023.^[12] This is set to be the first expansion and format change since 1998.^[13]

The total number of matches played will increase from 64 to 104, and the number of matches played by teams reaching the final four will increase from seven to eight. The tournament will last 39 days, an increase from 32 days of the 2014 and 2018 tournaments.^[14][15] Each team will still play three group matches.^[16][17] The final matchday at club level for players named in the final squads is May 24, 2026; clubs have to release their players by May 25, with exceptions granted to players participating in continental club competition finals up until May 30. The 56 days of the combined rest, release, and tournament periods remain identical to the 2010, 2014, and 2018 tournaments.^[12]

The expansion to 48 teams had already been approved on January 10, 2017, when it was initially decided that the tournament would include 16 groups of 3 teams, and 80 matches in total, with the top two teams of each group progressing to a round of 32.^[11][18] Under this later-superseded format, the maximum number of matches per team would have remained at seven, but each team would have played one fewer group match than before. The tournament would still have been completed within 32 days.^[19] This format was initially chosen over three other proposals, ranging from 40 to 48 teams, from 76 to 88 matches, and from one to four minimum matches per team.^[20][21][22]

Critics of this format argued that the use of three-team groups with two teams progressing significantly increased the risk of collusion between teams.^[23] This prompted FIFA to suggest that penalty shootouts may be used to prevent draws in the group stage,^[24] although even then some risk of collusion would remain, and a possibility would emerge of teams deliberately losing shootouts to eliminate a rival.^[23] To address these concerns, FIFA continued considering alternative formats^[25] – a process that ended with the 2023 announcement that the format would be 12 groups of 4 teams.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces several rule changes. In accordance with IFAB, these are primarily designed to reduce time-wasting. The new rules for the tournament include:

• 10-second substitutions: Players being substituted have 10 seconds to exit the pitch, otherwise his replacement must wait for one minute before entering the match.
• 5-second restarts: A visual 5-second countdown can be shown by the referee for throw-ins and goal kicks in situations of time-wasting. If the ball is not put into play in time, possession is awarded to the opposing team.
• Medical treatment: Any player who receives medical attention on the pitch must leave the field and wait for 1 minute before returning to play.
• Expanded VARTooltip video assistant referee: VAR can now review and overturn clear mistakes on given second yellow cards, wrongly awarded corner kicks, expanded mistaken identity, and certain attacking fouls.
• Mouth-covering red cards: To stop confrontational or insulting behavior hidden from lip-reading, any player who covers his mouth with his hand, arm, or shirt while confronting an opponent will be issued a red card.^[26]

Cooling or hydration breaks were introduced at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has introduced mandatory 3-minute hydration breaks in every half for all matches. Broadcasters are permitted to run commercials during these pauses.^[27]

The FIFA Council went back and forth between 2013 and 2017 on limitations within hosting rotation based on the continental confederations. Originally, it was set that bids to be host would not be allowed from countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments. It was temporarily changed to only prohibit countries belonging to the confederation that hosted the previous World Cup from bidding to host the following tournament,^[28] before the rule was changed back to its prior state of two World Cups.^[29]

The FIFA Council made an exception to potentially grant eligibility to member associations of the confederation of the second-to-last host of the FIFA World Cup in the event that none of the received bids fulfill the strict technical and financial requirements.^[30][31] In March 2017, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that "Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) are excluded from the bidding following the selection of Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively."^[32] Therefore, the 2026 World Cup could be hosted by one of the remaining four confederations: CONCACAF (North America; last hosted in 1994), CAF (Africa; last hosted in 2010), CONMEBOL (South America; last hosted in 2014), or OFC (Oceania, never hosted before), or potentially by AFC or UEFA in case no bid from the others met the requirements.^[33]

Co-hosting the FIFA World Cup—which had been banned by FIFA after the 2002 World Cup—was approved for the 2026 World Cup, though not limited to a specific number, but instead evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also for 2026, the FIFA general secretariat, after consultation with the Competitions Committee, had the power to exclude bidders who did not meet the minimum technical requirements to host the competition.^[30]

Canada, Mexico, and the United States had each publicly considered bidding for the tournament separately, but the United joint bid was announced on April 10, 2017.^[34][35] In March 2022, Liga MX president Mikel Arriola claimed Mexico's involvement as cohost could have been at risk if the league and the federation had not responded quickly to the Querétaro–Atlas riot between rival fans that left 26 spectators injured and resulted in 14 arrests. Arriola said FIFA was "shocked" by the incident but Infantino was satisfied with the sanctions handed down against Querétaro.^[36]

The voting took place on June 13, 2018, during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, and it was opened to all 203 eligible members.^[37] The United bid won with 134 valid ballots, while the Morocco bid received 65 valid ballots.^[38][35] Iran voted for neither of the two bids, while Cuba, Slovenia, and Spain abstained from voting. Ghana was suspended by FIFA due to a corruption scandal and was therefore ineligible to vote.^{[39][40][41][42][43]}

Voting results

Nation	Vote
	Round 1
Canada, Mexico, United States	134
Morocco	65
None of the bids	1
Abstentions	3
Total votes	200
Required for majority	101

During the bidding process, 41 cities with 42 existing, fully functional venues with regular tenants (except Montreal) and two venues under construction (Las Vegas and Los Angeles) submitted to be part of the bid (three venues in three cities in Mexico; six venues in six cities in Canada; 35 venues in 32 cities in the United States).^[44] A first-round elimination cut nine venues and nine cities. A second-round elimination cut an additional nine venues in six cities, while three venues in three cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, and Vancouver) dropped out due to FIFA's unwillingness to discuss financial details.^[45] After Montreal dropped out in July 2021 due to lack of provincial funding and support to renovate Olympic Stadium,^[46] Vancouver rejoined the bid as a candidate city in April 2022,^[47] bringing the total number to 24 venues, each in its own city or metropolitan area.^[48]

On June 16, 2022, the sixteen host cities (two in Canada, three in Mexico, eleven in the United States) were announced by FIFA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.^[49] Eight of the sixteen chosen stadiums have permanent artificial turf surfaces that are planned to be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and a University of Tennessee–Michigan State University research team. Depending on the venue's climate, the turf used is either a hybrid of 84% Kentucky bluegrass and 16% perennial ryegrass (for cooler temperatures), or Bermuda grass (for warmer temperatures).^[50][51][52]

Four venues (Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver) are indoor stadiums that use retractable roof systems, all equipped with climate control, while a fifth, Los Angeles, is open-air but has a translucent roof and no climate control.^[53] The host of the final match—MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey—was announced by FIFA on February 4, 2024.^[54]

Although there are soccer-specific stadiums in Canada and the United States, the largest dedicated soccer-specific stadium in the United States, Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, seats 30,000, which falls short of FIFA's minimum of 40,000 (Toronto's BMO Field is being expanded from 30,000 to 45,500 for this tournament).^[55] Stadiums including Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; and Lumen Field in Seattle are used by National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) teams.^[56] Although primarily used for gridiron football, with the American stadiums hosting NFL teams and Canada's hosting the Canadian Football League (CFL), all of the Canadian and American stadiums have been used on numerous occasions for soccer and are also designed to host that sport.^[57]

Mexico City is the only capital of the three host nations chosen as a venue site, with Ottawa and Washington, D.C., joining Bonn (West Germany, 1974) and Tokyo (Japan, 2002) as the only capital cities not selected to host World Cup matches. Washington was a host city candidate, but due to the poor state of Northwest Stadium, it combined its bid with nearby Baltimore's, which was unsuccessful. Other cities eliminated from the final hosting list were Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, and Edmonton. Ottawa's candidate venue, TD Place Stadium, was eliminated early on due to insufficient capacity.^[58] Though eight of the metropolitan areas hosting games had previously hosted World Cup games (Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, New York/New Jersey, and Boston in 1994; Guadalajara and Mexico City in both 1970 and 1986; Monterrey in 1986), Estadio Azteca is the only stadium in this tournament that previously hosted World Cup games, having done so in both 1970 and 1986; none of the stadiums used in the 1994 FIFA World Cup will be used in this tournament (though MetLife Stadium is located at the same site as one of the 1994 venues, Giants Stadium).^[59] Soldier Field in Chicago, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Los Angeles area) were the only stadia in the bidding process to have hosted games in 1994, but none of them were selected.^[44]

Due to FIFA's rules on stadium sponsorships, the venues will use alternative names for the duration of the tournament, shown below in parentheses.^[60][61] The capacity is based on information published by FIFA.^[61]

Key

† denotes a stadium used for previous men's World Cup tournaments.

‡ denotes an indoor stadium with a fixed or retractable roof with interior climate control.

List of tournament venues

City	Stadium	Capacity	Image
Mexico City	Estadio Azteca† (Mexico City Stadium)	80,824
New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford, New Jersey)	MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium)	80,663
Dallas (Arlington, Texas)	AT&T Stadium‡ (Dallas Stadium)	70,649
Los Angeles (Inglewood, California)	SoFi Stadium‡ (Los Angeles Stadium)	70,492
Kansas City	Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium)	69,045
San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara, California)	Levi's Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)	68,827
Houston	NRG Stadium‡ (Houston Stadium)	68,777
Philadelphia	Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium)	68,324
Atlanta	Mercedes-Benz Stadium‡ (Atlanta Stadium)	68,239
Seattle	Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium)	66,925
Miami (Miami Gardens, Florida)	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium)	64,478
Boston (Foxborough, Massachusetts)	Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium)	64,146
Vancouver	BC Place‡ (BC Place Vancouver)	52,497
Monterrey (Guadalupe, Nuevo León)	Estadio BBVA (Estadio Monterrey)	51,243
Guadalajara (Zapopan, Jalisco)	Estadio Akron (Estadio Guadalajara)	45,664
Toronto	BMO Field (Toronto Stadium)	43,036

The United Bid personnel anticipated that all three host countries would be awarded automatic berths.^[62] On August 31, 2022, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that six CONCACAF teams would qualify for the World Cup, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualifying as hosts.^[63][64] This was confirmed by the FIFA Council on February 14, 2023.^[65][66]

Immediately prior to the 67th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting in Manama, Bahrain.^[67][68] This included an intercontinental playoff tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.^[69]

The six teams in the playoffs comprised one team from each confederation excluding UEFA, and one additional team from the confederation of the host countries (CONCACAF). Two of the teams were seeded based on the World Rankings, and they played the winners of two knockout matches between the four unseeded teams for the two FIFA World Cup berths. The four-match tournament was played in Mexico, one of the host countries, and was also used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.^[67] The ratification of slot allocation also gave the OFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time: the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth and also the first time since the 2010 edition in which all confederations have a team qualified for the World Cup finals.^[67]

Of the 48 qualified teams, 26 also appeared in the 2022 edition. Highlights include:

• Cape Verde,^[70] Curaçao,^[B][71] Jordan, and Uzbekistan^[C][72] will all make their World Cup debuts.
• Qatar advanced to the tournament through qualification for the first time, as its only previous appearance was as host in 2022.^[73]
• DR Congo^[D] and Haiti return to the tournament after appearing in their only previous tournament in 1974.^[71][74]
• Iraq returns to the tournament after appearing in its only previous tournament in 1986.^[75]
• Austria, Norway,^[76] and Scotland return to the tournament after last appearing in 1998.^[77]
• Turkey qualified for the first time since finishing third in 2002.^[78]
• Czech Republic^[E] qualified for the first time since 2006.^[79]
• New Zealand, Paraguay, and South Africa (2010 World Cup host) return after last taking part in 2010.^[80] South Africa achieved its first successful qualifying campaign since 2002 while New Zealand is the lowest ranked team to qualify, ranked 85th.^[81]
• Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ivory Coast qualified for the first time since 2014. Bosnia achieved its first successful qualification process for a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup.
• Colombia, Egypt, Panama, and Sweden return after missing the previous tournament in 2022.

Four-time champion Italy missed out after being defeated in the European playoff final by Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, becoming the first former champion to miss out on three consecutive World Cups;^[82] as in 2018 and 2022, Italy was the only former champion that did not qualify. With a FIFA Men's World Ranking of 12, Italy was also the highest-ranking team that did not qualify. Costa Rica failed to qualify for the first time since 2010, while Cameroon, Denmark, Poland, Serbia, and Wales, all of whom qualified in 2022, did not qualify.^[83] Nigeria, the 3rd-highest ranked African nation, missed out on qualification for the second straight finals, while in South America, Peru missed out on their second straight finals and Chile their third.

The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIFA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:^[84]

The draw took place on December 5, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.^[85] The draw ceremony began with FIFA presenting the first (and as of 2026^[update] the only) FIFA Peace Prize to United States president Donald Trump,^[86] an award which fueled scrutiny and controversy among human rights groups, analysts, and others.^{[87][88][89][90]}

The 48 teams were divided into four pots of 12. Pot 1 consisted of the three hosts and the top nine teams from the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Ranking. Pots 2, 3, and 4 consisted of the remaining teams according to the ranking. The four winners of the UEFA playoffs and the two winners of the inter-confederation playoffs were not known at the time of the draw and thus were automatically allocated to Pot 4. The 12 groups were randomly formed by selecting one team from each of the four pots. FIFA's "general principle, whenever possible", was that no group had more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it.^[91][92] This principle was applicable to all confederations except UEFA; each group was required to have either one or two UEFA teams drawn into it.

The three host nations were pre-allocated to three groups for scheduling purposes. Mexico was placed in Group A and played the opening match of the tournament at Estadio Azteca on June 11. Canada and the United States were placed in Groups B and D, respectively. They played the third and fourth matches of the tournament, respectively, both on June 12.^[2][93]

The confederation restriction applied to all three potential winners of the inter-confederation playoffs. FIFA also announced that, "in the interest of ensuring competitive balance", two separate pathways to the semifinals (sides of the knockout bracket) were established. Based on this, the teams ranked first (Spain) and second (Argentina) in the ranking were randomly drawn into groups in opposite pathways, as were the teams ranked third (France) and fourth (England). Therefore, should these pairs of teams win their groups, they will be unable to meet until the final, while all four will be unable to meet until the semifinals.^[94] The draw started with Pot 1 and ended with Pot 4, with each team selected and then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. For the purpose of the match schedule, the Pot 1 teams were automatically drawn into position 1 of each group. For the remaining pots, FIFA established a predetermined pattern to define the position of teams based on their pot and the group they were drawn into.

Pots^[M]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
United States (co-host) (14)  Mexico (co-host) (15)  Canada (co-host) (27)  Spain (1)  Argentina (2)  France (3)  England (4)  Brazil (5)  Portugal (6)  Netherlands (7)  Belgium (8)  Germany (9)	Croatia (10)  Morocco (11)  Colombia (13)  Uruguay (16)  Switzerland (17)  Japan (18)  Senegal (19)  Iran (20)  South Korea (22)  Ecuador (23)  Austria (24)  Australia (26)	Norway (29)  Panama (30)  Egypt (34)  Algeria (35)  Scotland (36)  Paraguay (39)  Tunisia (40)  Ivory Coast (42)  Uzbekistan (50)  Qatar (51)  Saudi Arabia (60)  South Africa (61)	Jordan (66)  Cape Verde (68)  Ghana (72)  Curaçao (82)  Haiti (84)  New Zealand (86) UEFA Path A winner[N] UEFA Path B winner[N] UEFA Path C winner[N] UEFA Path D winner[N] IC Path 1 winner[N][O] IC Path 2 winner[N][P]

Base camps will be used by the 48 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament.^{[96][97][98][99]}

Similar to the prohibition of naming-rights sponsors that apply to the competition venues, the names of some training facilities were also altered by FIFA.^[100]

List of team base camps hide

Team	Hotel	Training site
Algeria[101]	DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lawrence, Lawrence, Kansas	University of Kansas,[102] Lawrence, Kansas
Argentina[103]	Origin Kansas City Riverfront, Kansas City, Missouri	Sporting KC Training Center, Kansas City, Kansas
Australia[104]	Claremont Hotel & Spa, Berkeley, California	Oakland Roots/Soul Training Facility, Alameda, California
Austria[105]	Bacara Resort, Goleta, California	UC Santa Barbara Harder Stadium, Santa Barbara, California
Belgium[106]	Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle's Southport, Renton, Washington	Seattle Sounders FC Performance Center and Clubhouse, Renton, Washington
Bosnia and Herzegovina[107]	Asher Adams, Autograph Collection, Salt Lake City, Utah	Real Salt Lake Stadium, Sandy, Utah
Brazil[108]	The Ridge, Basking Ridge, New Jersey	Columbia Park, Morristown, New Jersey
Canada[109]	The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, British Columbia	National Soccer Development Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
Cape Verde[110]	Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida	Waters Sportsplex, Tampa, Florida
Colombia[111]	Grand Fiesta Americana Country Club, Guadalajara, Jalisco	Academia Atlas FC, Zapopan, Jalisco
Croatia[112]	Hotel AKA Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia	Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Virginia
Curaçao[113]	Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center, Boca Raton, Florida	Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
Czech Republic[114]	Hilton Garden Inn Dallas-Arlington South, Arlington, Texas	Mansfield Multipurpose Stadium, Mansfield, Texas
DR Congo[115]	Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas	Houston Sports Park, Houston, Texas
Ecuador[116]	Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph, Columbus, Ohio	Columbus Crew Performance Center, Columbus, Ohio
Egypt[117]	Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington	Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
England[118]	The Inn at Meadowbrook, Prairie Village, Kansas	Swope Soccer Village, Kansas City, Missouri
France[119]	Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Boston, Massachusetts	Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts
Germany[120]	Graylyn, Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Ghana[121]	Providence Biltmore, Providence, Rhode Island	Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island
Haiti[122]	Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Stockton University, Galloway Township, New Jersey
Iran[123]	Tijuana Marriott Hotel, Tijuana, Baja California	Club Tijuana Training Center, Tijuana, Baja California
Iraq[110]	Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia	The Greenbrier Sports Performance Centre, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Ivory Coast[124]	Hotel Du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware	Philadelphia Union Stadium, Chester, Pennsylvania
Japan[125]	Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown, Nashville, Tennessee	Nashville SC Training Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Jordan[126]	The Nines Hotel, Portland, Oregon	University of Portland, Portland, Oregon
Mexico[127]	Centro de Alto Rendimiento on-site accommodation, Mexico City	Centro de Alto Rendimiento, Mexico City
Morocco[128]	Somerset Hills Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Warren, New Jersey	Pingry School, Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Netherlands[129]	Cascade Hotel, Kansas City, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri	Kansas City Current Training Facility, Riverside, Missouri
New Zealand[130]	Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, San Diego, California	Torero Stadium, San Diego, California
Norway[131]	Grandover Resort & Spa, A Wyndham Grand Hotel, Greensboro, North Carolina	University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina
Panama[132]	Nottawasaga Inn Resort & Conference Centre, New Tecumseth, Ontario	Nottawasaga Training Site, New Tecumseth, Ontario
Paraguay[133]	Signia by Hilton San Jose, San Jose, California	Spartan Soccer Complex, San Jose, California
Portugal[134]	Four Seasons Hotel Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida	Gardens North County District Park, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Qatar[135]	Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta, Goleta, California	Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California
Saudi Arabia[136]	Four Seasons Hotel Austin, Austin, Texas	Austin FC Stadium, Austin, Texas
Scotland[137]	Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel, Charlotte, North Carolina	Charlotte FC Training Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Senegal[138]	The Heldrich Hotel and Conference Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey	Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
South Africa[127]	Camino Real Pachuca, Pachuca, Hidalgo	Universidad Del Futbol [es], San Agustín Tlaxiaca, Hidalgo
South Korea[139]	The Westin Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco	Chivas Verde Valle, Zapopan, Jalisco
Spain[140]	The Read House Hotel, Chattanooga, Tennessee	Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sweden[114]	The Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa, Frisco, Texas	FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Switzerland[141]	Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego, California	San Diego Jewish Academy, San Diego, California
Tunisia[127]	InterContinental Presidente Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León	Rayados Training Center, Santiago, Nuevo León
Turkey[142]	Courtyard Mesa at Wrigleyville West, Mesa, Arizona	Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona
United States[143]	Marriott Irvine Spectrum, Irvine, California	Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California
Uruguay[144]	Fairmont Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo	Mayakoba Training Centre, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
Uzbekistan[145]	JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia	Atlanta United FC Training Center, Marietta, Georgia

Before submitting their final squad for the tournament, teams named a provisional squad of between 35 and 55 players one month prior to the tournament. Teams were required to name their final squads by June 2. If a player becomes too injured or ill to prevent his participation in the tournament, he can be replaced by another player from the provisional squad until 24 hours before the team's first match. However, an injured or ill goalkeeper may be replaced by another goalkeeper from the provisional squad at any time during the tournament.^[146]

On April 9, 2026, FIFA announced the list of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees for the tournament.^[147][148]

The tournament is set to feature three opening ceremonies, one for each of the hosts.^[149]

The opening ceremony in Mexico took place on June 11, 2026, at Estadio Banorte and featured performances by Mexican rock band Maná, Mexican singers Belinda, and Lila Downs, Mexican cumbia band Los Ángeles Azules, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, Colombian singers J Balvin, Ryan Castro, and Shakira, Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and South Korean-American singer Ejae as well as an appearance by Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek.^[150] Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández performed "Himno Nacional Mexicano" and South African singer Tyla performed the "National anthem of South Africa".^{[151][152][153]}

The opening ceremony in Canada took place on June 12, 2026, at BMO Field in Toronto and featured performances by Canadian singers Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, and William Prince, Palestinian singer Elyanna, Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy [bn], French singer Vegedream as well as an appearance by Canadian-American actor Will Arnett. Canadian-American musician Alanis Morissette performed "O Canada" while Serbian-Canadian violinist Aleksandar Gajić performed "Državna himna Bosne i Hercegovine".^[154][155]

On the same day, the opening ceremony for the United States took place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and featured performances by American singer Katy Perry, American rapper Future, Thai rapper and Blackpink member Lisa, Brazilian singer Anitta, Nigerian singer Rema, and South African singer Tyla as well as an appearance by American actor Jason Sudeikis. American country duo Dan + Shay performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" while Paraguayan soul duo Purahei Soul performed "Himno Nacional Paraguayo".^[156][157]

In the days leading up to the tournament, a countdown concert took place in the same cities on June 10. The Toronto concert at Fort York and The Bentway featured performances by Canadian rock band The Beaches, Canadian singers Bryan Adams and Nora Fatehi, Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy, French singer Vegedream, and a special collaboration between Canadian singer AHI and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. The Mexico City concert at Auditorio Nacional featured performances by Mexican cumbia band Los Ángeles Azules, Mexican singer Belinda, Venezuelan-American singer Elena Rose, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The Los Angeles concert at Crypto.com Arena featured performances by American electronic music group Major Lazer, Nigerian-American singer Davido, American singer Ava Max, and American rapper Bia.^{[158][159][160][161]}

In addition, two special ceremonies will take place on July 4, 2026, to honor the United States Semiquincentennial at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and NRG Stadium in Houston.^[162]

The match schedule, without group assignments, was announced on February 4, 2024.^{[2][163][164]} On June 13, 2024, FIFA released an updated schedule, with specific pairings assigned to venues for the knockout stage.^[165] In addition, group stage matches were assigned to specific groups (though pairings for non-host groups were not assigned to specific matches until after the final draw; thus the group venues were known, but not for which specific pairing each matchday). The full schedule was unveiled in a live broadcast on December 6, 2025, the day after the draw. Group stage pairings were allocated to specific matches, and the kickoff times were confirmed for all fixtures.^[166]

The final match will feature the first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show in FIFA World Cup history. Produced by Global Citizen and curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, the performance will co-headline Madonna, Shakira, and BTS to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.^[167]

The opening match was announced to include Mexico; it took place on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This match included South Africa.^[168] The opening match involving Canada took place on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, while the opening match for the United States took place on the same day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Each host nation is scheduled to play each of its three matches in the group stage within its own country.^[163]

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, will host the most matches of any venue at the tournament, with nine. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, will host the final on July 19. The United States will host 78 matches, including from the quarterfinal stage onward, while Canada and Mexico will each host 13. Each tournament venue, except for the Estadio Akron, will host at least one knockout stage fixture.^[169] The match schedule will overlap with the 2026 CFL season, resulting in scheduling conflicts and loss of home games for the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions.^[170][171] The match schedule will also affect the 2026 Major League Baseball season schedules of the Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers, whose home stadiums are located near World Cup venues.^[172]

Host cities were geographically grouped into three regions:^[2]

• Western Region (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles)
• Central Region (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City)
• Eastern Region (Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey)

The group stage is being played from June 11 to 27.^[173] Competing countries were divided into twelve groups of four teams (groups A to L), with teams in each group playing one another in a round-robin. In the group standings, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. Following the conclusion of group play, the top two teams of each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams across all groups, will advance to the knockout stage.

All times are local.

Tie-breaking criteria for group stage ranking hide

The ranking of teams in each group is determined by the points obtained in all group matches. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria are used to determine the ranking:[174] Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned; Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned; Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned; If, after having applied criteria a to c, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria a to c are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who are still level to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria d to h apply. Superior goal difference in all group matches; Most goals scored in all group matches; Highest team conduct ("fair play") score in all group matches (only one deduction can be applied to a player or team coach/official in a single match): Yellow card: −1 point; Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points; Direct red card: −4 points; Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points; Better position in the most recent FIFA Men's World Ranking; Better position in progressively older FIFA Men's World Rankings until teams can be separated.

The opening match of the tournament saw co-host Mexico face off against South Africa, in a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring for Mexico within ten minutes, while Raúl Jiménez netted the second goal in the second half, scoring his first World Cup goal. The match saw three direct red cards (the most in a World Cup opening match) for South Africa's Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane and Mexico's César Montes.^[175] On the same day, South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2–1 after being 0–1 down until the 67th minute.^[176]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Mexico (H)	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3	Knockout stage
2	South Korea	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	3
3	Czech Republic	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	South Africa	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	0

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Group B saw the second co-host, Canada, open its World Cup campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the two teams shared points thanks to the Bosnians' first half goal by Jovo Lukić, who rose above a Canadian player to power home a header, and Canada's second-half goal by Cyle Larin, who took only 121 seconds after being substituted on. This saw the co-host's first-ever World Cup points in history.^[177] Switzerland opened its campaign against Qatar with a penalty by Breel Embolo despite offside claims.^[178] However, Switzerland conceded a late equalizer after substitute Miro Muheim accidentally deflected the ball into the Swiss net, giving Qatar its first-ever World Cup point.^[178]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Switzerland	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]	Knockout stage
2	Canada (H)	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
3	Qatar	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]

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Brazil started its campaign against Morocco. The latter took the lead early in the first half with a goal from Ismael Saibari; Brazil responded quickly with a goal from Vinícius Júnior 11 minutes later. The second half produced no further goals and the two ultimately shared a point apiece.^[179][180] Meanwhile, Scotland bested Haiti to top the group after the first matchday, with John McGinn's first half goal proving enough to record Scotland's first World Cup match victory since 1990.^[181]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Scotland	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3	Knockout stage
2	Morocco	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
3	Brazil	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Haiti	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0

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The third co-host, the United States, faced off against Paraguay in its opening match. In the first ten minutes, the United States scored off a deflection from Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla. Folarin Balogun debuted with two goals in the first half, scoring the United States' first World Cup brace since 1930. In the second half, Maurício reduced the deficit for Paraguay, but the United States' Giovanni Reyna scored a stoppage-time trivela to finish proceedings. The co-host scored more goals (four) than it did during the 2022 FIFA World Cup (three).^[182] Australia won its opener against Turkey 2–0. Despite Turkey having possession of the ball for the majority of the game, Australia's Nestory Irankunda scored in the first half, and Connor Metcalfe in the second.^[183]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	United States (H)	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	3	Knockout stage
2	Australia	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
3	Turkey	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Paraguay	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	0

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Germany began its campaign against debutant Curaçao. Felix Nmecha scored for the Germans within the first six minutes, but the Curaçaoans scored an equalizer thanks to Livano Comenencia, seeing Curaçao's first ever World Cup goal. The two remained in a stalemate until goals from Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Deniz Undav, along with Kai Havertz’s brace, sealed a 7–1 victory for the Germans.^[184] Amad Diallo scored a late winner for Ivory Coast, securing a 1–0 victory over Ecuador as the latter failed to capitalize on its chances.^[185]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Germany	1	1	0	0	7	1	+6	3	Knockout stage
2	Ivory Coast	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3
3	Ecuador	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Curaçao	1	0	0	1	1	7	−6	0

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The Netherlands faced Japan in the opener. In the first half, neither team scored.^[187] Afterward, the match took a turn when Virgil van Dijk's header sealed the Dutch's opening goal, but Keito Nakamura equalized seven minutes later. Crysencio Summerville restored the lead not too long after, but the Netherlands conceded an equalizer after Kōki Ogawa's header bounced off Daichi Kamada into the net right before stoppage time.^[188] Between Sweden and Tunisia, the two nations exchanged goals in the first half: two from Swedes Yasin Ayari and Alexander Isak, and one from Tunisia's Omar Rekik. In the second half, Tunisia conceded from Viktor Gyökeres and Mattias Svanberg, including Ayari's second in stoppage time. Additionally, Svanberg's goal was initially ruled offside, but was reinstated after VAR confirmed that Isak had slightly tipped the ball with his foot, eliminating the offside in question.^[189] Following the match, Tunisia's head coach, Sabri Lamouchi, was dismissed, and replaced by Hervé Renard.^[190]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Sweden	1	1	0	0	5	1	+4	3	Knockout stage
2	Japan	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1[a]
3	Netherlands	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1[a]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Tunisia	1	0	0	1	1	5	−4	0

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Belgium started off against Egypt, conceding in the 19th minute by Emam Ashour for his first international goal for the country^[191]. Romelu Lukaku seemingly scored an equalizer in the 66th minute after being substituted on for 23 seconds, but it was ruled an own goal by Mohamed Hany,^[192] and the two teams shared points at the end of the match. Iran and New Zealand traded goals throughout the match, with Iran coming from behind two times with Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi while Elijah Just scored a brace for the latter.^[193]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	New Zealand	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1[a]	Knockout stage
2	Iran	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1[a]
3	Belgium	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[b]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Egypt	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[b]

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Cape Verde made its World Cup debut against Spain and held the heavy favorite to the first goalless draw of the tournament. Despite dominating possession and shots, Spain was unable to find a breakthrough as Cape Verde's defense and Vozinha's goalkeeping efforts kept the game scoreless,^[194] earning Cape Verde its first-ever World Cup point. Saudi Arabia's Abdulelah Al-Amri scored first against Uruguay, but Uruguay regained composure and equalized with Maximiliano Araújo's goal near the end of the match.^[195]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Uruguay	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]	Knockout stage
2	Saudi Arabia	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
3	Spain	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1[b]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Cape Verde	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1[b]

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France and Senegal started their match scoreless in the first half amid wasted chances from both sides, along with Ismaïla Sarr missing an open chance from six yards out by hitting the ball over the bar. In the second half, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock at the 66th minute after being denied a penalty, while Bradley Barcola scored another in the 82nd minute. Ibrahim Mbaye scored for Senegal in stoppage time, but Mbappé scored a brace immediately after.^[196]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Norway	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	3	Knockout stage
2	France	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	3
3	Senegal	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Iraq	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	0

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage
2	Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Austria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Jordan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage
2	DR Congo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Uzbekistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Colombia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	England	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage
2	Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Ghana	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Panama	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

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Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	F	Netherlands	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	Knockout stage
2	C	Brazil	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
3	G	Belgium	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
4	B	Qatar	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
5	H	Spain	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
6	J	Third place Group J	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	K	Third place Group K	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	L	Third place Group L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	A	Czech Republic	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	0
10	E	Ecuador	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0
11	I	Senegal	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	0
12	D	Turkey	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	0

The specific matchups involving the third-placed teams depend on which eight third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32. The 495 possible combinations were published in Annex C of the tournament regulations.^[174]

For the list of all 495 possible combinations, see 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage § Combinations of matches in the round of 32.

This is the first tournament with the new round of 32. The knockout stage will be played in a single-elimination format, starting with the round of 32 on June 28 and culminating with the final on July 19. On the day prior, a match for third place will also be played between the two losing semifinalists to determine the third-place team. In the knockout stage, if the scores are level when normal playing time expires, 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If still tied at the end of extra time, a penalty shootout will be used to determine the winner.^[174]

Round of 32

Round of 16

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

June 29 – Foxborough

Winner Group E

July 4 – Philadelphia

3rd Group A/B/C/D/F

Winner Match 74

June 30 – East Rutherford

Winner Match 77

Winner Group I

July 9 – Foxborough

3rd Group C/D/F/G/H

Winner Match 89

June 28 – Inglewood

Winner Match 90

Runner-up Group A

July 4 – Houston

Runner-up Group B

Winner Match 73

June 29 – Guadalupe

Winner Match 75

Winner Group F

July 14 – Arlington

Runner-up Group C

Winner Match 97

July 2 – Toronto

Winner Match 98

Runner-up Group K

July 6 – Arlington

Runner-up Group L

Winner Match 83

July 2 – Inglewood

Winner Match 84

Winner Group H

July 10 – Inglewood

Runner-up Group J

Winner Match 93

July 1 – Santa Clara

Winner Match 94

Winner Group D

July 6 – Seattle

3rd Group B/E/F/I/J

Winner Match 81

July 1 – Seattle

Winner Match 82

Winner Group G

July 19 – East Rutherford

3rd Group A/E/H/I/J

Winner Match 101

June 29 – Houston

Winner Match 102

Winner Group C

July 5 – East Rutherford

Runner-up Group F

Winner Match 76

June 30 – Arlington

Winner Match 78

Runner-up Group E

July 11 – Miami Gardens

Runner-up Group I

Winner Match 91

June 30 – Mexico City

Winner Match 92

Winner Group A

July 5 – Mexico City

3rd Group C/E/F/H/I

Winner Match 79

July 1 – Atlanta

Winner Match 80

Winner Group L

July 15 – Atlanta

3rd Group E/H/I/J/K

Winner Match 99

July 3 – Miami Gardens

Winner Match 100

Match for third place

Winner Group J

July 7 – Atlanta

July 18 – Miami Gardens

Runner-up Group H

Winner Match 86

Loser Match 101

July 3 – Arlington

Winner Match 88

Loser Match 102

Runner-up Group D

July 11 – Kansas City

Runner-up Group G

Winner Match 95

July 2 – Vancouver

Winner Match 96

Winner Group B

July 7 – Vancouver

3rd Group E/F/G/I/J

Winner Match 85

July 3 – Kansas City

Winner Match 87

Winner Group K

3rd Group D/E/I/J/L

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There have been 55 goals scored in 18 matches, for an average of 3.06 goals per match (as of June 16, 2026, 2 of 4 matches finished).

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

A player or team official is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offenses:^[174]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offenses)
• Receiving two yellow cards in the tournament;^[R] yellow cards expire after the completion of the group stage and again after the quarterfinals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)^[197]

During qualification, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for violent conduct in Portugal's penultimate match against the Republic of Ireland, with such an offense typically resulting in a ban of at least two matches. Ronaldo was handed a three-match ban, though the final two matches of the ban were suspended for a one-year probationary period, making him eligible to appear in Portugal's opening World Cup match.^[198] On May 8, 2026, the Bureau of the FIFA Council amended the tournament regulations so that pending one- or two-match suspensions resulting from an indirect red card, a direct red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, or a direct red card for serious foul play during qualification would no longer be carried forward to the final competition.^[199] This exempted Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi, Ecuador's Moisés Caicedo, and Qatar's Tarek Salman from serving their qualifying-round suspensions during the tournament, with the bans to instead be served in a subsequent competition.^[200]

The following suspensions will be served during the tournament:

Tournament suspensions for players and team officials

Player	Offense(s)	Suspension(s)
Sphephelo Sithole	in Group A vs Mexico (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs Czech Republic (matchday 2; June 18)
Themba Zwane	in Group A vs Mexico (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs Czech Republic (matchday 2; June 18)
César Montes	in Group A vs South Africa (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs South Korea (matchday 2; June 18)

In April 2026, FIFA confirmed the prizes for all participating nations. This edition's total distribution for the tournament will be $871 million, $431 million higher than the prize pool of the previous tournament. In addition to the performance-based prize money, each qualified team will also receive a $10 million qualification payment and a $2.5 million preparation fee before the competition.^[201][202]

Performance-based prize money based on final position

Place	Teams	Amount (in millions)
		Per team	Total
Champions	1	$50	$50
Runners-up	1	$33	$33
Third place	1	$29	$29
Fourth place	1	$27	$27
5th–8th place (quarter-finals)	4	$19	$76
9th–16th place (round of 16)	8	$15	$120
17th–32nd place (round of 32)	16	$11	$176
33rd–48th place (group stage)	16	$9	$144
Total	48	$655

The following awards are to be presented at the end of the tournament.

• Golden Boot: Awarded to the tournament's top goal scorer.
• Golden Glove: Awarded to the tournament's best goalkeeper.
• Golden Ball: Awarded to the best overall player of the tournament.
• FIFA Young Player Award: Awarded to the best overall player of the tournament under the age of 21.
• FIFA Fair Play Trophy: Awarded to the team with the best disciplinary record that reached the knockout stage.

The official emblem and brand identity was unveiled on May 17, 2023, at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California; its basic form consists of a stacked "26" with an image of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in front of it (marking the first time that the trophy has been depicted in a World Cup emblem as a photo, as opposed to a stylized representation), but it is designed to be adaptable to different backdrops.^[203][204] The next day, FIFA unveiled variants of the emblem for each of the host cities, which feature color variants and designs that reflect local landscapes or culture (with the Los Angeles emblem featuring a stylized sun and wave, the Monterrey emblem featuring imagery of the Cerro de la Silla mountain, and Toronto featuring the city skyline and the CN Tower).^[205][206]

Reaction to the logo from the initial unveiling was largely negative, with many feeling that the design was either unfinished or uncreative compared to the emblems of past FIFA World Cup tournaments. By contrast, United States national team player Jesús Ferreira described the emblem as "beautiful".^{[207][204][208]}

In March and April 2025, FIFA unveiled a set of 16 posters representing each of the 2026 World Cup host cities. The posters, designed by local artists, were intended to reflect the "distinct identity and heritage" of each host city.^[209][210] On March 3, 2026, the official poster was unveiled. For the first time, three artists combined their skills and artistic styles to create the official poster: Carson Ting (Canada), Minerva GM (Mexico), and Hank Willis Thomas (United States).^[211]

On February 12, 2015, FIFA renewed the United States and Canadian broadcasting rights contracts for Fox Sports (US English), Telemundo Deportes (US Spanish), and Bell Media (Canada) to cover the 2026 World Cup, without accepting any other bids. A report in The New York Times asserted that this extension was intended as compensation for the rescheduling of the 2022 World Cup to November–December rather than its traditional June–July scheduling, as it created considerable conflicts with major professional sports leagues that are normally in their offseasons during the World Cup.^{[212][213][214]}

The International Broadcast Center (IBC) will be located at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.^{[215][216][217]} Bell Media constructed a broadcast studio at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver for the tournament (mirroring an arrangement used by Fox during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup), which will operate through the final match played in Vancouver on July 11.^[218]

On January 8, 2026, FIFA signed a deal to make TikTok a "preferred platform" for World Cup video content. As part of the agreement, broadcasters may stream parts of matches at a dedicated hub on the TikTok app.^[219] FIFA then made a similar "preferred platform" deal with YouTube on March 17, allowing broadcasters to stream select matches in full on their respective YouTube channels, as well as stream the first 10 minutes of every match on the platform as "an appetizer encouraging young fans then to watch on traditional channels".^[220] It was later confirmed that YouTube had extended this deal with FIFA and CazéTV to show all tournament matches for free in Brazil.^[221][222]

FIFA partners	FIFA World Cup sponsors	FIFA World Cup supporters
Adidas[223] ADI Predictstreet[224] Aramco[225] Coca-Cola[226] Hyundai–Kia[227] Lenovo[228] Qatar Airways[229] Visa[230]	AB InBev (Budweiser+Others)[231] American Airlines[232] Bank of America[233] Frito-Lay (Lay's)[234] Hisense[235] McDonald's[236] Mengniu Dairy[237] Unilever (Dove+Others)[238] Verizon[239]	DoorDash[240] Marriott Bonvoy[241] Rock-it Cargo[242] Valvoline[243]

North American supporters	South American supporters	European supporters	Asian supporters
Airbnb[244] Diageo[245] ExpressVPN[246] Globant[247] Home Depot[248] Kraken[249] Public Investment Fund[250] Salesforce[251]	Betano[252] Diageo[245] Inter Rapidísimo[253] Mercado Libre/Mercado Livre[254]	Betano[252] Globant[247] ExpressVPN[246] Kraken[255] Salesforce[251]	Public Investment Fund[250]

On May 7, 2026, Adidas released Backyard Legends: the Greatest Football Story Ever Told, a 5-minute short film.^[256][257] On June 4, 2026, Nike released Rip The Script, a 6-minute short film.^[258][259]

FIFA will stage fan festivals in cities across the host nations, featuring matches on giant screens and live entertainment.^[260] Among the confirmed fan fest locations are Liberty State Park in Jersey City,^[260] Fairmount Park in Philadelphia,^[261] Fort York and The Bentway in Toronto,^[262] Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta,^[263] and East Downtown Houston.^[264]

Ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup initially ranged from $60 for group stage matches to $6,730 for the final—largely increased from the USD equivalent of $69 to $1,607 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, in September 2025, FIFA confirmed it would use dynamic pricing for tickets for the first time, following the practice used in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.^[265] Hospitality seats were made available in April 2025 via FIFA's ticket partner for the event.^[266]

An initial draw period for non-hospitality seats occurred between September 10–19, 2025, limited to Visa cardholders. A second phase ran from October 27–31, and a third phase started after the final draw of teams on December 5. Sales are capped at four tickets per person per match, and no person is able to purchase more than 40 tickets for the overall tournament. FIFA's official resale platform went live on October 2, 2025.^[265][267]

A final "last-minute" sales phase reopened on April 22, 2026, approximately 50 days before the start of the tournament, with tickets for all 104 matches made available on a first-come, first-served basis. By that stage, more than five million tickets had been sold out of an expected total exceeding six million, with additional tickets scheduled to be released in phases up to the final, subject to availability.^[268]

Every city hosting the World Cup in the United States has passed a law stating that ticket sales to World Cup events are exempt from state and local sales taxes.^{[269][270][271]}

On October 2, 2025, FIFA announced the video game FIFA Heroes, scheduled for release in 2026 on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.^[272]

In May 2026, the Football Manager 26 video game also announced the addition of licensed 2026 FIFA World Cup content.^[273]

In December 2025, Netflix announced a new simulation-type game featuring the World Cup, produced by Delphi Interactive and Refactor Games.^[274][275] In May 2026, it was announced the Netflix-published game would be titled "FIFA World Cup – Launch Edition" and would be released in June 2026.^[276]

In the same May 2026 announcement, FIFA also confirmed that they would adopt a non-exclusive "Digital Football" ecosystem, with games of various genres adopting the FIFA license. Alongside the new World Cup game, were mentioned FIFA Heroes, FIFA Rivals, FIFA Super Soccer, Football Manager, eFootball and Rocket League, with more games joining the ecosystem in the following months.^[276][277]

Panini sticker albums were again announced for the 2026 World Cup. Due to the expansion of the tournament, each pack now contains seven stickers as opposed to the usual 5. In the United States and Canada, a set of 12 stickers was reserved for stickers that could only be obtained from Coca-Cola bottles, with each bottle containing a sticker printed inside the label.^[278] In May 2026, it was announced that the 2026 World Cup would be Panini's second-to-last tournament with a sticker album, after FIFA announced that Fanatics (via their Topps brand) would distribute collectables for FIFA tournaments from 2031.^[279]

In conjunction with the tournament, the Lego Group released a series of officially licensed FIFA World Cup 2026-themed construction sets. The collection included models of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, the official tournament emblem, a brick-built Adidas Trionda football containing a miniature stadium, and player-focused sets based on footballers Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinícius Júnior. Several sets featured hidden references to the players' careers, alternative display poses, and commemorative World Cup-themed designs.^[280][281] To promote the product line, Lego organized FIFA World Cup 2026-themed activations in several markets, including a football festival and pop-up experience in Singapore. The events featured interactive football challenges, football-themed Lego builds, displays of player-inspired models, and promotional giveaways tied to the World Cup collection.^[282][283]

The official mascots of the tournament were revealed on September 25, 2025, and are Maple, Zayu and Clutch. Maple is a moose, Zayu is a jaguar, and Clutch is a bald eagle, representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively.^[284] They were designed to reflect the cultural heritage of their respective countries.^[285]

On May 2, 2025, reports surfaced that the match ball would be called Adidas Trionda. The design features red, green, and blue (the three colors representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively, and also featured on the host countries' flags), as well as a white wave connecting each of the colors, hence the name using the Spanish words for three (tri) and wave (onda).^[286] The design also features the national symbols of the three host countries (a maple leaf for Canada, a golden eagle for Mexico, and a five-pointed star for the United States) as well as gold embellishments to represent the World Cup Trophy.^[287]

The tournament's official instrumental theme music was composed by Zachary Aaron Golden; throughout March 2025, FIFA released remixes of the theme for each host city by local producers, including Bombon (Houston), Dan the Automator (San Francisco), Mr. NaisGai (Miami), Take a Daytrip (New York/New Jersey), Sango (Seattle), Dallas Austin (Atlanta), Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City), Hill Kourkoutis (Toronto), Ben Zakharenko and Dayvin (Boston), Grayson Repp (Vancouver), Tech N9ne (Kansas City), Toy Selectah (Monterrey), DJ Jazzy Jeff (Philadelphia), DJ Flict (Los Angeles), Bautista (Guadalajara), and Tre Nagella (Dallas).^[288][289] The Vancouver version incorporates the traditional welcome songs of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations communities.^[290]

The official song "Dai Dai" by Colombian singer Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on May 15, 2026,^[291] followed by the official anthem "DNA (More Than a Game)" by French producer David Guetta, featuring Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, South Korean-American singer Ejae, and American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, on June 10, 2026,.^[292]

The official soundtrack album was released on June 5, 2026, with its first single "Lighter" by Jelly Roll and Carín León having been released on March 20, 2026; the song had garnered a mixed reception from listeners and critics, with some having falsely assumed that it was meant to be the tournament's official song before "Dai Dai" was released.^{[293][294][295]}

Instrumental song Sirius by British rock band The Alan Parsons Project is used for the theme song for the entrances of the national teams before each game.^[296]

Criticism of the tournament has centered on United States immigration and visa policies under the Trump administration, the participation of Iran amid an ongoing war waged by the United States and Israel, FIFA's ticket pricing, and labor, safety, and transit issues in host cities. Escalating drug cartel violence in Mexico has also fueled security concerns for the tournament, prompting the Mexican government to announce the deployment of nearly 100,000 security personnel to protect fans.^[297][298] Some critics have characterized the tournament as a form of sportswashing.^[299]

A 2025 travel ban and its December expansion barred ordinary citizens of Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast, and Senegal from obtaining visas to attend matches, though players, team staff, and their immediate relatives were exempted.^[300] A visa bond policy requiring deposits of up to $15,000 from fans of five African qualified nations was suspended in May 2026 for ticket holders.^[301] Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the United States in June 2026 despite holding a valid visa, and FIFA removed him from its roster.^[302] Homeland Security officials also said that customs processing could be halted at airports in sanctuary host cities and that ICE personnel may be present at matches; workers at SoFi Stadium authorized a strike over pay and immigration enforcement concerns before reaching a settlement days ahead of the venue's first match.^[303][304]

Iran's participation was in question after America's attacks against Iran. The Football Federation of Iran warned to boycott the December 2025 draw after its president was denied a US visa, and prompted Iranian officials to request that the United States be removed as host, after negociations with FIFA and US Goverment, that included relocate its base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, allocation of US visas for players and "vital staff", and the guarantee that the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag would be banned out of stadiums, Iran accepted to join the tournament. Other negociated demands that were denied included move games from USA to Mexico, Ban LGBTQ+ Pride Flags and clear of visas for fans.^{[305][306][307][308]}

Iran, also alongside with Egypt's football association urged FIFA to prevent LGBTQ-related activities linked to the Seattle match, which had been designated a "Pride Match" by local organizers.^[309]

Critics have argued that the political context surrounding the tournament undermines FIFA's "Football Unites the World" message.^[310][311] Upon the team's arrival at their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, players wore gold-colored lapel pins bearing the number "168" to honor the victims of the 2026 Minab school attack.^[312]

FIFA's first use of dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets drew criticism from fans, players, and United States lawmakers over affordability, with prices for the final reaching $11,000 and exceeding $30,000 for premium seats.^[265] The lack of public transit access at several United States venues was also criticized, with the New Jersey goverment raised round-trip rail fares to MetLife Stadium from $13 to $150 and officials closing pedestrian routes to the stadium.^[313][314]

The tournament's environmental impact also drew significant criticism. An independent June 2026 study by carbon accounting firm Greenly estimated the event's total carbon footprint as equivalent to 7.8 million metric tons of CO₂, more than double the official emissions reported for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. While utilizing existing stadiums limited infrastructure emissions to just 3% of the total, the vast geographical distribution of matches across three North American countries caused spectator and team transit to account for 87.8% of the tournament's overall carbon footprint.^[315]

While the opening match was played in a full stadium, the second match showed thousands of empty seats, again raising concerns about high ticket prices. In an official statement regarding the empty seats, FIFA said this was due to "several ticketed fans standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats".^[316][317]

The tournament expansion and qualiffying spots allocation was also target of polemics, specially after Italy falied to qualify for the tournament, with some fans and journamsits calling for a spot for Italy instead of small nations, UEFA´s president Alexander Ceferin called the expansion "unecessary" and that would fill the tournament with "useless games", 13 qualifed teams from Asia and Africa quickly rebutted UEFA´s president saying in a statement that for their countres, "there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match,” and that. “Football does not belong to a select group of nations; We believe every nation that qualifies deserves respect. Every team has earned its place on merit. Every supporter has the right to dream. Every match carries meaning for millions of people around the world." ", the federations also mentioned that the impact of a World Cup qualficiation includes "accelerate football development".^[318][319]

• 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
• 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup

• Official website at FIFA.com
• FIFA WC26
• Official Canada website
• Official Mexico website
• Official United States website