The FIFA World Cup 2026, the largest in history, opened on June 11 with Mexico playing South Africa at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. A record 48 national teams are competing, expanded from 32 in previous tournaments [6, 2, 3].
The tournament is cohosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A total of 104 matches will be held across 16 cities, including 78 games in US venues, 13 in Mexico, and 13 in Canada [6, 2, 4]. Matches run through July 19, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The stadium is renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the event [3, 5].
The group stage features 12 groups of four teams, with the top two in each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams advancing to a 32-team knockout round [2, 5, 7, 8]. Notable debutants this year include Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan [1, 4].
The United States will play its first match today, June 12, against Paraguay in Los Angeles, as will Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina [1, 4, 7, 9]. Argentina enters as defending champion [3, 4, 8]. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are competing in their sixth World Cup tournaments [1].
Top favorites to win include Spain, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, and Argentina, with odds varying across sources [5, 7, 8, 10, 9, 11]. Coverage is available globally, with the BBC airing 54 live games on TV and offering radio and digital content, including new features like a 3D match experience and podcasts such as Football Daily and The Wayne Rooney Show. Rebecca Lowe said their discussions on the tournament include "hysterical laughter, a few tears, or something in between," while Brendan Hunt called the World Cup "guaranteed to repeatedly leave me an emotional wreck" [6, 12].
The tournament will proceed with group stage matches through June 27. The knockout rounds start June 28, followed by the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the third-place match on July 18. The final is scheduled for July 19 at 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium [1, 2, 3, 5].
