The World Cup is the championship event for men’s national teams of FIFA member associations and is often considered to be the most prestigious association football/soccer tournament in the world. With the exception of 1942 and 1946, when World War II prevented its holding, it has taken place every four years since its inception in 1930.
In theyears leading up to the 2022 edition, a total of 80 different national teams have participated in 22 different final tournaments. Eight different national teams have triumphed to claim the prize. The only side to appear in every event, Brazil havewon it five times.
Germany and Italy have won the World Cup a combined total of four times; Argentina arewon the tournament three times; France and Uruguay, the tournament’s first champions, have won twice; England and Spain have won once. Lionel Messi‘s Argentina arethe current champion after they won their third championship in 2022.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Host Cities
The event will take place in several places throughout North America, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The distribution of the locations throughout the United States is as follows: five in the eastern third (despite FIFA’s interpretation of Atlanta), three in the central third, and three in the western third.
First-time Canadian cities to host World Cup games are Toronto and Vancouver. It will be the third time for Mexico to host the World Cup (the other two times were in 1970 and 1986), with Monterrey serving as a host city for the second time.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Dates
The entire program, including the first game and opening ceremony dates, has not yet been announced. No firm dates or schedule for the World Cup 2026 have been revealed, however, it will take place between June and July 14.Sunday, July 19, 2026, is the confirmed date for the World Cup Final.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Format
Each team must qualify throughout the course of the previous three years before moving on to the tournament proper. The event proper lasts for over a month and features 32 teams competing at various locations around the host country or nations. The host country or countries are given a bye into the round of groups. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will include 48 teams, up from the current 32.
The finalized structure divides the 48 teams evenly across 12 groups of four teams. A fair knockout bracket, however, requires that 32 teams advance from the groups. As a result, the top two teams from each group will progress, together with the eight best third-place teams, to form a round of 32. For the last two European Championships, UEFA has adopted a similar system in which the third-place team advances to the knockout stages.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Qualified countries
The qualification regulations for the 2026 World Cup providethat all three host countries automatically qualify for the tournament. The United States will participateas co-hosts, guaranteeing their participation and giving them the opportunity to try to improve on their previous Round of 16 finish.
Moreover, Mexico will host the World Cup for the third time in 2026, after their 1970 and 1986 stints. El Tri now holds the record for most World Cup host venues. The third host nation is Canada, which will be making their first appearance in back-to-back championships.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Participating teams
- AFC (Asia): Eight direct spots + one inter-confederation play-off place
- CAF (Africa): Nine direct spots + one inter-confederation play-off place
- CONCACAF(North and Central America, plus the Caribbean): Six direct spots + two inter-confederation play-off places
- CONMEBOL (South America): Six direct spots + one inter-confederation play-off place
- OFC (Oceania): One direct spot + one inter-confederation play-off place
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct spots
The three host nations will enter the competition as a group and use up three of their allotted spots in the Concacaf group.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Logo, official poster, and mascot
There has been no announcement on the logo, poster, or mascot for the 2026 World Cup. These revelations are expected to occur over the course of the next several months in stages.
