The FIFA World Cup 2026 started on June 11, 2026, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, marking the launch of the tournament across USA, Canada, and Mexico [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The event will run for 39 days, concluding on July 19 with the final at MetLife Stadium near New York City [1, 5].

A record 48 national teams will compete in 104 matches during the tournament [6, 1, 2, 4]. The total pool includes 1,248 eligible players, with 891 making their first World Cup appearance [6]. Among players to watch, 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande of Ivory Coast is a rising star noted by BBC's Steve Wilson as "one of the most sought-after signatures of the summer" [6]. Mexico’s youngest player, 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, is highlighted as a key home hope [6].

Argentina’s Lionel Messi returns for his sixth World Cup at age 38 as his team seeks to defend the title they won in 2022 [3]. Spain’s 18-year-old Lamine Yamal is marked as a top young player and potential Golden Boot winner, with Spain ranked No. 1 in ESPN FC’s World Cup Power Rankings thanks in part to Yamal’s fitness [3, 4, 5]. France’s Kylian Mbappé aims to improve on his 2022 Golden Boot performance and approach France’s all-time scoring record; Norway’s Erling Haaland is also cited as a lethal striker to watch [3, 5].

Pundits widely favor France, Spain, Brazil, England, and Argentina as main contenders to win the tournament [1, 4, 5, 7]. BBC experts offered varied picks, including Alan Shearer, who favored France “if there is no in-house fighting,” and Wayne Rooney, who predicted an England-Spain final with England winning [1]. The ESPN writers’ consensus mostly picked Spain and France as favorites, with no experts choosing Argentina to repeat as champions [5].

For the opening match, BBC Football expert Chris Sutton predicted Mexico would narrowly beat South Africa 1-0, citing Mexico’s home advantage, while AI models forecast a 2-0 win for Mexico [2].

Spain’s Alvaro Fidalgo recently chose to represent Mexico internationally ahead of the World Cup, foregoing a potential call-up from Spain [6]. Spain was ranked unofficially #2 by FIFA and tops in ESPN’s Power Rankings just days before the start of the tournament [4].

The tournament continues with group stage matches and knockout rounds leading up to the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium.