The2026 FIFA World Cup,marketed asFIFA World Cup 26,[2]will be the 23rdFIFA World Cup,thequadrennialinternational men'ssoccerchampionship contested by thenational teamsof the member associations ofFIFA.The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries:Canada,Mexico,and theUnited States.The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations and the first North American World Cup since1994.[3][4]Argentinais thedefending champion.
This tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32. TheUnited 2026 bidbeat arival bid by Moroccoduring a final vote at the68th FIFA CongressinMoscow.It will be the first World Cup since2002to be hosted by more than one nation. With its past hosting of the1970and1986tournaments, Mexico will become the first country to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times. The United States last hosted the men's World Cup in1994,whereas it will be Canada's first time hosting or co-hosting the men's tournament. The event will also return to its traditional northern summer schedule after the2022 editioninQatarwas held in November and December.
Format and expansion
Starting with this edition, the FIFA World Cup expanded to 48 teams, an increase of 16 from the previous 7 tournaments.[5]The teams will be split into 12 groups of 4 teams, with the top 2 of each group and the 8 best third-placed teams progressing to a new round of 32, as approved by theFIFA Councilon March 14, 2023.[6]This is set to be the first expansion and format change since1998.
The total number of games played will increase from 64 to 104, and the number of games played by teams reaching the final four will increase from seven to eight. The tournament will last 39 days, an increase from 32 days of the2014and2018editions.[7][8]Each team will still play three group matches.[9][10]The final matchday at club level for players named in the final squads is May 24, 2026; clubs have to release their players by May 25, with exceptions granted to players participating in continental club competition finals up until May 30. The 56 days of the combined rest, release, and tournament periods remains identical to the2010,2014 and 2018 tournaments.[6]
The expansion to 48 teams had already been approved on January 10, 2017, when it was decided that the tournament would include 16 groups of 3 teams, and 80 matches in total, with the top two teams of each group progressing to a round of 32.[5][11]Under this later-superseded format, the maximum number of games per team would have remained at seven, but each team would have played one fewer group match than before. The tournament still would have been completed within 32 days.[12]The later-superseded format was chosen over three other proposals, ranging from 40 to 48 teams, from 76 to 88 matches, and from one to four minimum matches per team.[13][14][15]
Critics of the later-superseded format argued that the use of three-team groups with two teams progressing significantly increased the risk of collusion between teams.[16]This promptedFIFAto suggest thatpenalty shoot-outsmay be used to prevent draws in the group stage,[17]although even then some risk of collusion would remain, and a possibility would emerge of teams deliberately losing shootouts to eliminate a rival.[16]To address these concerns, FIFA continued considering alternative formats[18]- a process that ended with the 2023 announcement that the format would be 12 groups of 4 teams.
The general idea of expanding the tournament had been suggested as early as 2013 by then-UEFApresidentMichel Platini,[19][20]and also in 2016 by FIFA presidentGianni Infantino.[21]Opponents of the proposal argued that the number of games played was already at an unacceptable level,[22]that the expansion would dilute the quality of the games,[23][24]and that the decision was driven by political rather than sporting concerns, accusing Infantino of using the promise of bringing more countries to the World Cup to win his election.[25]
TheFIFA Councilwent back and forth between 2013 and 2017 on limitations within hosting rotation based on the continental confederations. Originally, it was set that bids to be host would not be allowed from countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments. It was temporarily changed to only prohibit countries belonging to the confederation that hosted the previous World Cup from bidding to host the following tournament,[26]before the rule was changed back to its prior state of two World Cups.
The FIFA Council made an exception to potentially grant eligibility to member associations of the confederation of the second-to-last host of the FIFA World Cup in the event that none of the received bids fulfill the strict technical and financial requirements.[27][28]In March 2017, FIFA presidentGianni Infantinoconfirmed that "Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) are excluded from the bidding following the selection ofRussiaandQatarin 2018 and 2022 respectively. "[29]Therefore, the 2026 World Cup could be hosted by one of the remaining four confederations:CONCACAF(North America; last hosted in1994),CAF(Africa; last hosted in2010),CONMEBOL(South America; last hosted in2014), orOFC(Oceania, never hosted before), or potentially by UEFA in case no bid from those four met the requirements.
Co-hosting the FIFA World Cup—which had been banned by FIFA after the2002 World Cup—was approved for the 2026 World Cup, though not limited to a specific number but instead evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also for 2026, the FIFA general secretariat, after consultation with the Competitions Committee, had the power to exclude bidders who did not meet the minimum technical requirements to host the competition.[27]In March 2022,Liga MXpresident Mikel Arriola claimed Mexico's involvement as cohost could have been at risk if the league and the federation had not responded quickly to theQuerétaro–Atlas riotbetween rival fans that left 26 spectators injured and resulted in 14 arrests. Arriola said FIFA was "shocked" by the incident but Infantino was satisfied with the sanctions handed down against Querétaro.[30]
Canada, Mexico, and the United States had all publicly considered bidding for the tournament separately, but the United joint bid was announced on April 10, 2017.[31][32]
The voting took place on June 13, 2018, during the68th FIFA CongressinMoscow,and it was opened to all 203 eligible members.[33]The United bid won with 134 valid ballots, while the Morocco bid received 65 valid ballots. Iran voted for the option "None of the bids", while Cuba, Slovenia, and Spain abstained from voting.Ghanawas suspended by FIFA due to a corruption scandal and was therefore ineligible to vote.[34][35][36][37][38]
During the bidding process, 41 cities with 43 existing, fully functional venues with regular tenants (except Montreal) and 2 venues under construction submitted to be part of the bid (3 venues in 3 cities in Mexico; 9 venues in 7 cities in Canada; 38 venues in 34 cities in the United States). A first-round elimination cut nine venues and nine cities. A second-round elimination cut an additional nine venues in six cities, while three venues in three cities (Chicago,Minneapolis,andVancouver) dropped out due to FIFA's unwillingness to discuss financial details.[39]AfterMontrealdropped out in July 2021 due to lack of provincial funding and support to renovate theOlympic Stadium,[40]Vancouver rejoined the bid as a candidate city in April 2022,[41]bringing the total number to 24 venues, each in its own city or metropolitan area.
On June 16, 2022, the sixteen host cities (2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico, 11 in the United States) were announced byFIFA:Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami.[42]Eight of the sixteen chosen stadiums have permanentartificial turfsurfaces that are planned to be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and aUniversity of Tennessee–Michigan State Universityresearch team. Four venues (Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Vancouver) are indoor stadiums that use retractable roof systems, all equipped with climate control while a fifth, Los Angeles, is open-air but has a translucent roof and no climate control.[43]The host of thefinal match—MetLife StadiuminEast Rutherford, New Jersey—was announced by FIFA on February 4, 2024.[44]
Mexico Cityis the only capital of the three host nations chosen as a venue site, withOttawaandWashington, D.C.,joiningBonn(West Germany, 1974) andTokyo(Japan, 2002) as the only capital cities not selected to host World Cup matches. Washington was a host city candidate but, due to the poor state ofFedExField,combined its bid with nearbyBaltimore's, which was also unsuccessful. Other cities eliminated from the final hosting list wereCincinnati,Denver,Nashville,Orlando,andEdmonton.Ottawa's candidate venue,TD Place Stadium,was eliminated early on due to insufficient capacity.[citation needed]None of the stadiums used in the1994 FIFA World Cupwill be used in this tournament, and the Azteca is the only stadium in this tournament that was used in the1970and1986FIFA World Cups.[48]
Due to FIFA's rules on stadiumsponsorships,most of the venues will use alternative names for the duration of the tournament,[49]given here in parentheses.
A † denotes a stadium used for previous men's World Cup tournaments.
Capacity:30,000 (expanding to 45,736 for tournament)
Team base camps
Base camps will be used by the 48 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. In June 2024, FIFA announced the hotels and training sites for each participating team. Over the next months, the list of potential Team Base Camps will grow, with further options across Canada, Mexico, and the United States to be added.[50]
Team whose qualification process has yet to be decided
Teams failed to qualify
Teams withdrew or suspended
Not a FIFA member
The United Bid personnel anticipated that all three host countries would be awarded automatic berths.[51]On August 31, 2022, FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that six CONCACAF teams will qualify for the World Cup, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualifying as hosts.[52][53]This was confirmed by theFIFA Councilon February 14, 2023.[54][55]
Immediately prior to the 67thFIFA Congress,the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting inManama,Bahrain.[56][57]This includes an intercontinental playoff tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.[58]
The six teams in the playoffs will comprise one team from each confederation excludingUEFA,and one additional team from the confederation of the host countries (CONCACAF). Two of the teams will be seeded based on theWorld Rankings,and they will play the winners of two knockout games between the four unseeded teams for the twoFIFA World Cupberths. The four-game tournament is to be played in one or more of the host countries, and will also be used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.[56]The ratification of slot allocation also gives theOFCa guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time: the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth. This will also be the first time since the 2010 edition in which all continents have a team qualified for the World Cup finals.[56]
The match schedule, including the venue for the final, was revealed on February 4, 2024, 3:00 p.m.EST,from theTelemundoCenter inMiami.[59][60]However, only the venues and dates were confirmed for the matches, with no information regarding group assignments.[1]Venue assignments for specific group stage pairings, as well as kick-off times, will be confirmed following the final draw, allowing for more matches to be scheduled at favorable times for global audiences.[61][62]The geographical regions were updated withAtlantaandMiamimoved to the eastern region. The opening match was announced to include Mexico, taking place on June 11, 2026, at theEstadio AztecainMexico City.The opening match involving Canada will take place on June 12 atBMO FieldinToronto,while the opening game for the U.S. will take place on the same day atSoFi StadiuminInglewood.Each host nation was scheduled to play its three matches in the group stage within its own country.AT&T StadiuminArlington, Texas,will host the most matches of any venue at the tournament with nine.MetLife StadiuminEast Rutherford, New Jersey,will host thefinalon July 19. The United States will host 78 matches, including the quarterfinals onward, while Canada and Mexico will each host 13. Each tournament venue, except for theEstadio Akron,will host at least one knockout stage fixture.[63]
Host cities were geographically grouped to optimize travel for teams and fans, except Canada and its opening-game opponent in Toronto. 4 out of 12 groups were allocated for the Central region with 24 matches, three groups in the Western region, and the rest in the Eastern region with a shared-region group with Canada. Cities were split into three regions: the Western Region (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles), the Central Region (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City), and the Eastern Region (Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey).
On June 13, 2024, FIFA released an updated match schedule, with specific pairings assigned to venues for knockout stage matches. In addition, group stage matches were assigned to specific groups (though match pairings for non-host groups will not be assigned to specific fixtures until after the final draw).[64]
Group stage
Prior to the final draw, stadiums were assigned to specific groups.[65]Following the final draw, pairings will be allocated to specific matches, and the kick-off times will be confirmed.[62]
The official emblem and brand identity was unveiled on May 17, 2023, at theGriffith ObservatoryinLos Angeles,California;its basic form consists of a stacked "26" with an image of theFIFA World Cup Trophyin front of it (marking the first time that the trophy has been depicted in a World Cup emblem as a photo, as opposed to a stylized representation), but it is designed to be adaptable to different backdrops.[70][71]The next day, FIFA unveiled variants of the emblem for each of the host cities, which feature color variants and designs that reflect local landscapes or culture (with the Los Angeles emblem featuring a stylized sun andwave,the Monterrey emblem featuring imagery of theCerro de la Sillamountain, and Toronto featuring the city skyline andCN Tower).[72][73]
Reaction to the logo from the initial unveiling was largely negative, with many feeling that the design was either unfinished or uncreative compared to the emblems of past FIFA World Cup tournaments. By contrast,United States national teamplayerJesús Ferreiradescribed the emblem as "beautiful".[74][71][75]
On February 12, 2015, FIFA renewed the U.S. and Canadian broadcasting rights contracts for Fox, Telemundo, and CTV/TSN parent companyBell Mediato cover 2026, without accepting any other bids. A report inThe New York Timesasserted that this extension was intended as compensation for the rescheduling of the2022 World Cupto November–December rather than its traditional June–July scheduling, as it created considerable conflicts withmajor professional sports leaguesthat are normally in their offseasons during the World Cup.[91][92][93]
^"New Fifa chief backs 48-team World Cup".HeraldLIVE. October 7, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on October 10, 2016.It's an idea, just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams.
Media related to2026 FIFA World Cupat Wikimedia Commons
Mexico City
New York/New Jersey
Vancouver
Albania –TV Klan[76]
Australia –SBS[77]
Austria –ORF[78]
Czech Republic –TV Nova
Brazil –Grupo Globo[79]andTBA[80]
Bulgaria –NOVA[81]
Bosnia and Herzegovina –BHRT,MY TV[82]
Denmark –DR,TV2[84]
Finland –YLE,MTV[85]
France –M6[86]
Guatemala – Chapín TV[87]
Norway –NRK,TV2[88]
Slovakia –TV JOJ
Sweden –SVT,TV4[85]
South Korea -JTBC[89]
