The FIFA 2026 World Cup will be the first edition of the tournament to present 48 teams and take place in three countries.
A total of 16 stadiums host games, welcoming teams of qualification groups covering Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Argentina hopes to defend the title they won in Qatar in 2022, defeating France in the penalties in the final in a game with a hat -trick of Mbappe Kylian for the Blues and two goals Lionel Messi for the champions.
101GREATGOALS.COM has the details on when and where the 2026 World Cup will start, as well as the key details of the schedule at the start of Europe qualification.
🎌 Japan is heading for their consecutive eighth #FifaWorldCup!# Weare26 pic.twitter.com/8wnskpybgz
– FIFA World Cup (@FifaWorldcup) March 20, 2025
When is the 2026 World Cup? Calendar, dates
While the edition of Qatar took place in November and December, the 2026 tournament will return to the traditional period during which the World Cup began since its inaugural outfit in 1930.
The opening match will take place on Thursday, June 11, with the group phase taking place until June 27. The round of 32 will start on June 29 and July 3, after the matches of the last-16 between July 4 and 7.
The quarter-finals will be held between July 9 and 11, and the final will be decided by the semi-finals on July 14 and 15. A third place takes place on July 18.
For the badge ❤️🛡️#FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/z5uvyngd89
– FIFA World Cup (@FifaWorldcup) March 15, 2025
When is the World Cup final?
The final will take place on Sunday July 19. Azteca de Mexico will stage the opening match.
Where is the 2026 World Cup?
Canada, the United States and Mexico will host the tournament, with 11 American sites: Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Boston and New York New Jerseywhere the final will be played.
The Mexican seat will be in Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico and the Canadian sites are Vancouver and Toronto.
The oldest man to lift the #FifaWorldCup 🏆
The legendary Dino Zoff. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/ger0dubslx
– FIFA World Cup (@FifaWorldcup) February 28, 2025
2026 World Cup format
The initial stage was extended from 16 groups of three teams to 12 groups of four nations, increasing the number of games for countries from seven to eight games.
The two best teams in each group and the eight best third place teams will reach the turn of 32.
