What You Need to Know About the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is officially upon us! Soccer fans everywhere (or football fans if you live abroad) are excited to once again view the event that only rolls around every four years. But who is playing? Who is favored? Where and when are the games taking place? There are so many details you need to know about the World Cup, and we’ve summarized them for your reference in this article.
The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11th to July 19th, 2026, and all of the games will take place in the US, Canada, or Mexico. The games are held in different locations, and while it is unclear who will be the ultimate winner, the former champions, Argentina, are somewhat favored. Read on to learn more about the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11th, 2026, with games lasting all the way until the final on July 19th. In the beginning, there are multiple matches each day; however, as teams are eliminated, there will be fewer and fewer games per day as the tournament progresses.
Generally, games start between 3 pm-6 pm Eastern Standard Time, though there are some occasional deviations. This is one of the most-bet-on sports events in the 2026 season.
Where is the 2026 World Cup Taking Place?
The FIFA 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in the cities listed below:
In Canada:
· Vancouver
· Toronto
In the United States:
· Seattle
· Atlanta
· San Francisco (though technically the venue is in Santa Clara)
· Los Angeles
· Kansas City
· Boston
· Dallas
· Houston
· East Rutherford (New Jersey/New York)
· Philadelphia
· Miami
In Mexico:
· Mexico City
· Monterrey
· Guadalajara
There are multiple games taking place in each city, with the final taking place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Who is Playing in the 2026 World Cup?
A total of 48 teams qualified for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, with 26 of them returning from the 2022 World Cup. Below is a full list of the teams who are participating this year.
· Algeria (Last appearance 2014)
· Argentina (Previous champion)
· Australia
· Austria (First appearance since 1998)
· Belgium
· Bosnia and Herzegovina (Last appearance 2014)
· Canada
· Cape Verde (First World Cup)
· Colombia (Last appearance 2018)
· Croatia
· Curacao (First World Cup)
· Czech Republic (Last appearance 2006)
· DR Congo (First appearance since 1974)
· Ecuador
· Egypt (Last appearance in 2018)
· England
· France
· Germany
· Ghana
· Haiti (First appearance since 1974)
· Ivory Coast (Last appearance 2014)
· Iran
· Iraq (First appearance since 1986)
· Japan
· Jordan (First World Cup)
· Mexico
· Morocco
· Netherlands
· New Zealand (Last appearance in 2010, lowest ranked team to qualify)
· Norway (First appearance since 1998)
· Panama (Last appearance in 2018)
· Paraguay (Last appearance 2010)
· Portugal
· Qatar (First World Cup but did host in 2022)
· Saudi Arabia
· Scotland (First appearance since 1998)
· Senegal
· South Africa (Last appearance 2002 though they did host in 2010)
· South Korea
· Spain
· Sweden (Last appearance in 2018)
· Switzerland
· Tunisia
· Turkey (Last appearance 2002)
· United States
· Uruguay
· Uzbekistan (First World Cup)
Who is Favored to Win the 2026 World Cup?
Because the World Cup only takes place every four years, it can be difficult to choose a clear favorite because it has been a long time since the last winners have basked in the glory of becoming world champions. That being said, there are many sports experts out there who have worked tirelessly to predict which teams have a better chance of winning this year.
While Argentina is a clear favorite because of their previous win, as the professional rankings go, they are actually third most likely to win in the professionals’ minds, with Spain and France also favored to take home a win this year. Again, these are just predictions and anything can happen, but fans from these nations are already holding their breath for a win.
Other predictions for well-performing teams (in spots 4, 5, and 6) are England, Brazil, and Portugal.
How Does the 2026 FIFA World Cup Work?
The tournament is elimination style, with teams winning points for games won; then the teams are sorted in their group based on points. The highest point-scoring teams advance to the next round, while the lowest-scoring teams are eliminated.
There are four groups total, with group D facing the winners of groups A-C. It is complicated, and you can find a full breakdown on tournament progression here.
Where Can I Watch the 2026 World Cup?
There are a variety of streaming services offering options to watch the 2026 World Cup. You will need to check with any services you subscribe to in advance to see if they are offering it. If not, Fox, FS1, Telemundo, Universo, and ESPN all plan to show a variety of games.
If you do not have any of these channels and none of your services offer streaming, we suspect that many American sports bars will be showing a variety of games, though you may want to call in advance to ensure the game you want to see is being shown. If you live somewhere where sports betting is legal, you can also head to your local sportsbook to watch the event.
Where Can I Buy Tickets for the 2026 World Cup?
Original tickets to the 2026 World Cup were awarded via a random drawing by FIFA and also sold on the FIFA site once the drawing was complete. All original tickets to the event have been sold.
Like any sporting event, though, there are many resale channels where you can purchase tickets, though they are quite expensive. For the first time ever, FIFA has an official resale section of their site, though the fees are quite high and thus many individuals have chosen to head to other resale sites like SeatGeek, StubHub, and Ticketmaster.
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of complaints about how much these resale tickets cost (when compared to the face value), and as such, many people have found themselves unable to attend. If you are still dying for a ticket, we recommend waiting to see if prices drop last minute, because you never know. As of the writing of this article, 180,000 resale tickets are still available across all portals.
