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The 23rd FIFA World Cup draws ever person with organisers promising the largest planetary showcase of shot ever.
With conscionable six months until kickoff, galore tourney milestones person already been reached: Forty-two of the 48-team teams person qualified, the contention gully is completed, two-million-plus tickets person been sold and the 16 cities – 11 successful the United States, 3 successful Mexico, and 2 successful Canada – person present been confirmed and are making last preparations to their stadiums and surrounding infrastructure.
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Now, Al Jazeera Sport lays retired each to cognize successful beforehand of the 2026 variation of the world’s marquee shot tournament.
When and wherever is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tourney is being staged crossed the United States, Canada and Mexico, and volition statesman successful Mexico City connected June 11.
Due to the enlargement of the tourney – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day lawsuit is the longest successful its history.
Where volition the FIFA World Cup 2026 last beryllium held?
The US volition signifier the final, which volition beryllium played astatine MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey.
How volition the FIFA World Cup 2026 crippled staging beryllium divided betwixt the hosts?
The US volition signifier games successful 11 places: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York (joint big region), Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Canada volition big 13 games successful total, divided betwixt Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico volition besides get 13 games, which volition beryllium played successful Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Which stadiums person inactive to beryllium built?
All the stadiums for the World Cup are already successful place, though 2 are having upgrades for the tournament.
The Boston Stadium, with a 63,815-capacity, is location to the NFL’s New England Patriots and the MLS’s New England Revolution, and is undergoing a $225m refurbishment.
Toronto Stadium successful Canada is besides having an upgrade, but connected a overmuch much humble level. The location to MLS broadside Toronto FC and the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts holds 44,315 spectators, and that is being expanded to much than 45,000 arsenic portion of its redevelopment.
Who are the defending FIFA World Cup champions?
Argentina won the past variation of the FIFA World Cup, beating France successful the last of Qatar 2022.
With the crippled level astatine 3-3 aft other time, Argentina won the punishment shootout 4-2.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy successful beforehand of fans aft winning the World Cup last betwixt Argentina and France astatine the Lusail Stadium successful Lusail, Qatar [File: Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]Which teams are the favourites to triumph World Cup 2026?
Euro 2024 winners Spain are ranked archetypal by FIFA earlier the tournament. Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions from Qatar 2022, are besides considered a frontrunner for the title.
The FIFA World Cup 2018 winners – and 2022 runners-up – France, led by prima striker Kylian Mbappe, are besides a apical contender for the crown.
Brazil, Portugal, England, Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, Croatia, Morocco and Mexico are successful the 2nd tier of beardown contenders, based connected their FIFA rankings from 4 to 15.
Highly talented nations, who besides person a puncher’s accidental of winning it all, if everything went their way, see Norway, Uruguay and Egypt.
Will Messi and Ronaldo play astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Yes. Messi volition lineup with Argentina successful defence of their crown, portion Ronaldo volition play for UEFA Nations League champions, Portugal. At 38 and 40 years of age, respectively, it is wide expected that this volition beryllium the past World Cup that the iconic brace play at.
When volition we cognize each the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Forty-two of the 48 teams person already qualified, with a bid of options inactive disposable for the last six teams.
FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs volition beryllium the implicit past accidental saloon for nations to scope adjacent year’s event. The finale of that way volition beryllium connected March 31, 2026, little than 3 months earlier the World Cup kicks off.
The European qualification process runs until March, but astir of the remaining confederations volition person finished their continental qualification processes agelong earlier then.
What are the FIFA intercontinental playoffs?
Once the respective confederations decorativeness their qualification process, FIFA offers 2 last spots to beryllium contested by the best-placed squad from each of the six continental routes that person not already qualified.
What volition the format beryllium for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
With the enlargement to 48 teams, the World Cup volition present diagnostic 12 four-team groups. That volition pb to a circular of 32, an other knockout circular compared with erstwhile editions.
Indeed, the tourney has doubled successful size since it was staged successful the US successful 1994, erstwhile lone 24 teams competed.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, 2nd right, US President Donald Trump, 2nd left, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, during the gully for the 2026 World Cup [File: Jacquelyn Martin/AP]What were the World Cup 2026 groups drawn connected December 5?
The groups are mostly completed pursuing the draw, but for the six last slots, though the imaginable teams that tin capable those places are present besides known:
- Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, positive 1 of Denmark, Macedonia, Czech Republic oregon Ireland
- Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, positive 1 of Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales oregon Bosnia
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
- Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, positive 1 of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia oregon Kosovo
- Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, positive 1 of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania
- Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
- Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, positive 1 of Iraq, Bolivia oregon Suriname
- Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, positive 1 of DRC, Jamaica oregon New Caledonia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Can Trump determination games astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Trump has been rather wide and accordant connected the staging of games wrong the US, saying he volition determination the games from immoderate cities that helium deems to beryllium unsafe.
On September 26, erstwhile Trump was asked astir games being moved, helium warned, “Well, that’s an absorbing question … but we’re going to marque definite they’re safe. [Seattle and San Francisco are] tally by extremist near lunatics who don’t cognize what they’re doing.”
Will the upwind impact games astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was staged successful the US, and the vigor and resulting thunderstorms proved to beryllium a immense occupation for the tournament.
Three stadiums – successful Arlington, Atlanta, and Houston – person retractable roofs that are expected to beryllium closed owed to the summertime heat, portion Inglewood and Vancouver person fixed roofs.
What are the summons ballot options for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
More than 2 cardinal tickets person already been sold for the tournament, but the main summons ballot lone opens connected Thursday.
It volition springiness fans their archetypal accidental to bargain tickets since the afloat lucifer docket was announced past week, pursuing the gully for the radical stages.
The ballet volition unfastened astatine 16:00 GMT connected Thursday, connected FIFA’s website, and volition tally until 13 January 2026. Thereafter, FIFA volition tally a lottery to determine which applications are successful.
What are the nonstop pathways for the six remaining FIFA World Cup 2026 slots?
Intercontinental playoffs: Six teams volition instrumentality portion successful the playoffs successful Mexico successful March, with 2 qualifying.
Seeded teams Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) volition person byes to play successful the 2 playoff finals, awaiting the winners from the semifinals.
- Semifinal 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
- Final 1: DRC vs New Caledonia oregon Jamaica
- Semifinal 2: Bolivia vs Suriname
- Final 2: Iraq vs Bolivia oregon Suriname
Europe: UEFA’s playoff competition, besides taking spot successful March, volition diagnostic 16 teams, who request to triumph their semifinal and last to go 1 of 4 to qualify.
The gully is arsenic follows:
Path A
- Semifinal 1: Italy vs Northern Ireland
- Semifinal 2: Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Final 1: Winner of Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina astatine location vs Italy oregon Northern Ireland
Path B
- Semifinal 3: Ukraine vs Sweden
- Semifinal 4: Poland vs Albania
- Final 2: Winner of Ukraine vs Sweden astatine location vs Poland oregon Albania
Path C
- Semifinal 5: Turkiye vs Romania
- Semifinal 6: Slovakia vs Kosovo
- Final 3: Winner of Slovakia vs Kosovo astatine location vs Turkiye vs Romania
Path D
- Semifinal 7: Denmark vs North Macedonia
- Semifinal 8: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
- Final 4: Winner of Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland astatine location vs Denmark oregon North Macedonia
Which federation volition apical each group? 🧐@aramco | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aPr4FD2mDB
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 6, 2025
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