In mere weeks, the biggest sports competition in the world will be held in our own backyard: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. An expanded 48-team field will feature the best players in the world, all fighting for first place and to lift the legendary World Cup trophy. The competition will be played across three host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The World Cup final is scheduled to take place at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Over 2 billion people tune in throughout the tournament to watch their countries play, and with only a short amount of time until its start on June 11, here is all you need to know about this year’s World Cup.
Teams
The World Cup will showcase 48 teams: six from North and Central America (Canada, Curacao, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, United States), 16 from Europe (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye), 10 from Africa (Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia), six from South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay), eight from Asia (Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan) and two from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand).
Groups
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia. Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland. Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland. Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye. Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador. Group F: the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia. Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand. Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay. Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway. Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan. Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia. Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Format
The format has been adjusted for this edition of the World Cup. Forty eight teams are participating this time around, an increase from the 32 teams that had been present at the previous seven World Cups. These teams are split up into 12 groups with four teams each. Each team will play every other team in their group, so three matches. A win is worth 3 points, a tie is worth 1, and a loss earns zero points. The top two teams from each group advance to the playoffs, along with the eight best third placed finishers. The 32 teams that advance to the playoffs will then play bracket-style single elimination matches to determine the winner.
Controversies
This World Cup does not come without its controversies, with the first being extreme overpricing. The World Cup final in 2022 was roughly $1,600 for a decent seat. This year, tickets to the finals cost upwards of $11,000 for regular seats, while box seats approach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even group stage matches have climbed up, with category 1 seats for the United States vs. Paraguay reaching over $4,000. MetLife, a main venue for the sporting event that’s set to host the World Cup final, is at the top of the controversy as train tickets and shuttle options to get to games climb from the regular $10 to $80 or even $150 depending on bus or train. Hotels and Airbnbs have already begun raising their prices in preparation for the event as well. Despite boycotting by many fans from the U.S. and other countries, prices continue to climb.
Another main topic of the World Cup has been whether or not Iran will play at the 2026 World Cup amidst tensions between the main host nation, the United States. While Iran is still expected to participate, despite American President Donald Trump’s warning that the country should not play “for their own safety,” they are currently boycotting the World Cup. Iran submitted a request to have their games moved outside of the United States and to either Canada or Mexico, but FIFA, soccer’s governing body, said it had “no intention” of moving the games and has rejected Iran’s request. Iran is still scheduled to play all three of their group games in the United States (2 in LA, 1 in Seattle). If Iran does decide to withdraw from the World Cup, FIFA has already planned an emergency play off schedule to determine who will replace them (possible replacements are Italy, Poland, Kosovo, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Indonesia)
The World Cup is arguably the most popular and greatest sporting event in the world. This years will be different in a multitude of ways, but it will still undoubtedly be a sporting event to keep tabs on.