The summer of 2026 will enter the history of football. From June 11 to July 19, three countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — will host the largest World Cup in the tournament's history [citation:3][citation:7]. For the first time, the World Cup will feature 48 national teams, matches will be held on the territory of three countries, and the total number of matches will reach 104 [citation:1][citation:8]. North America is on standby. The world is preparing for a football marathon that will last almost a month and bring us a new champion.

48 Teams: The New Era of World Football

The main sensation of this World Cup is its scale. FIFA has expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 national teams [citation:4][citation:8]. The decision was made several years ago, but it is now that we will see it in practice for the first time. The logic is simple: give more countries a chance to fight for the top prize. The idea is controversial, but the fact remains that we will see 12 groups instead of the usual eight in the group stage [citation:4][citation:8].

Two of the best teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. In addition, eight of the twelve teams that finish third will also qualify for the next round [citation:4][citation:8]. The system is complicated, but it guarantees that the fight for a group exit will continue until the last minutes even for those who seem to have already lost everything. In the end, 32 teams will meet in the 1/16 finals. To reach the final, teams will now need to win eight matches instead of the previous seven [citation:4]. The players will face a serious test of endurance.

Three Hosts: From North to South

For the first time, the World Cup is being hosted by three countries simultaneously. Matches will be held in 16 cities: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada [citation:1][citation:5][citation:9]. Such a geographical and climatic spread creates unique conditions. Some teams will play at sea level, while others will face the high altitude of Mexico City. Footballers will have to adapt on the go.

The tournament will start on June 11, 2026 [citation:3]. The championship will be opened by two matches: in Mexico City at the legendary "Azteca," the Mexicans will face South Africa, and in Toronto at the BMO Field, the Canadians will take on the Swiss team [citation:1][citation:5]. "Azteca" is a special place in football history. It is here that Pelé won his third World Cup, where Maradona scored the "Goal of the Century" and the "Hand of God" [citation:5]. The stadium in Toronto will be expanded to accommodate 45,000 spectators for the tournament [citation:1].

Stadiums in the USA: A Battle of Giants

The main burden of the tournament falls on the American arenas. 78 out of 104 matches will be held in the United States [citation:9]. The final will take place on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in New York [citation:1][citation:5]. The stadium in East Rutherford can accommodate over 82,000 spectators — the largest stadium in the National Football League [citation:5]. It has hosted the Super Bowl and the Club World Cup final, and now it will become the place where the world's top trophy will be raised.

The semi-finals will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the AT&T Stadium in Dallas [citation:1][citation:9]. The stadium in Atlanta is notable for its retractable roof-diaphragm, which opens in 12 minutes [citation:5]. In Dallas, a giant video cube is installed, and the capacity can reach 100,000 people [citation:5].

The United States team will play its opening match on June 12 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles [citation:1]. This state-of-the-art arena, opened in 2020, cost 5-6 billion dollars [citation:5]. The quarter-finals will take place in Boston, Kansas City, Miami, and Los Angeles [citation:1][citation:9]. The third-place match will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami [citation:1].

Group Stage: Star Battles

The draw has already divided the teams into groups, and several quartets look like groups of death.

Group C brings together five-time World Cup champions Brazil, runners-up from the last World Cup Morocco, sturdy Scots, and debutants from Haiti [citation:2][citation:6][citation:10]. Brazil is the favorite, but upsets are possible.

Group I: the current World Cup champions, the French team, will face African lions from Senegal, Scandinavian vikings from Norway, and Iraqis, who are returning to the World Cup after a 40-year hiatus [citation:2][citation:6][citation:10].

Group J: the current South American champions Argentina will face Algerians, Austrians, and debutants from Jordan [citation:2][citation:6][citation:10].

Group K: Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo will play against Colombians, debutants from Uzbekistan, and the team from DR Congo [citation:2][citation:6][citation:10].

Group L: the English will clash with "chess-playing" Croats, black stars from Ghana, and Panamanians [citation:2][citation:6][citation:10].

The Russian team did not qualify for the tournament due to ongoing sanctions from FIFA and UEFA [citation:6].

New Names and Historic Returns

The expansion of the tournament has brought teams that we haven't seen before to the global stage. Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curaçao will play at the World Cup for the first time in history [citation:6][citation:10]. Imagine the tiny Curaçao, an island country with a population of about 160,000, playing against giants on an equal footing. Uzbekistan, which has been close to its cherished goal for many years, has finally achieved it.

After decades, Iraq (last at the World Cup in 1986) and DR Congo (last in 1974) have returned [citation:10]. The DR Congo team has a Russian connection: striker Theo Bonnardeau of Moscow's CSKA plays for them [citation:10]. Captain Edin Dzeko of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will be 40 years old, will become one of the oldest field players in the history of World Cups [citation:10].

Prizes: Record Motivation

FIFA has set a record prize fund for participants. The total amount will be 871 million dollars [citation:3][citation:7]. For comparison: at the last World Cup in Qatar, teams shared 440 million. The increase is colossal — almost double.

Each of the 48 participating teams will receive at least 12.5 million dollars [citation:3][citation:7]. In addition, there will be additional payments for preparation — 2.5 million dollars for each team. The champion will receive significantly more, but FIFA has not yet disclosed the exact distribution figures. It is known that organizers were worried about the potential loss for some federations — too high taxes in the United States and logistics costs [citation:3]. Therefore, they decided to increase the starting payments. Now even a team that loses all three matches will not go into the red.

What Awaits Fans and Organizers

For fans, this World Cup will be a journey through half of the continent. Matches will be held from Vancouver in western Canada to Miami in the southeastern United States. The distances are enormous. The car journey from Seattle to Los Angeles takes 20 hours. But organizers promise convenient transportation logistics and many special flights.

The main question is safety. All three hosting countries have a high level of organization for mass events. The United States and Canada regularly hold NFL and NHL matches with a huge crowd. Mexico hosted the Olympic Games and two World Cups. Authorities say they are fully prepared.

Predictions and Favorites

On paper, the favorites are the teams from France, Argentina, Brazil, England, and Spain. But the expanded format has its pitfalls. More matches mean a higher risk of injuries and fatigue. Teams with a high rotation of players will have it easier.

Upsets are inevitable. Remember Morocco at the last World Cup, which reached the semi-finals. Now there may be even more "dark horses." Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Iraq, or DR Congo can spring surprises. For them, every appearance on the field is already a historic event.

Conclusion

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a global-scale experiment. For the first time, the tournament has been expanded, for the first time it is being held by three countries, and for the first time in history we will see 104 matches over 39 days. Will FIFA be able to maintain the quality of play with such a large number of participants? We will see. One thing is clear: the summer of 2026 will be the main football festival for millions of fans around the world. North America welcomes guests. Stadiums are ready. Shirts are ironed. We are waiting for the first whistle.

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