The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is the premier international soccer tournament where national men’s teams compete every four years for the title of world champion. FIFA organized this occasion.
As of 2026, the World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world, drawing over 5 billion viewers annually. The tournament started on June 11 and will run through July 19, spread across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. This marks the first time a men’s World Cup has been hosted by three nations and the first to feature an expanded 48-team tournament (originally 32 teams).
The expansion was caused by the demand for global inclusion. It gave more underrepresented countries across all continents a realistic chance to participate on a global scale. Additionally, this expansion provided a great commercial drive; more countries included led to more viewership which resulted in an increase of revenue and publicity for the newly added countries.
How it works
The tournament will feature 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, advance to a new round of 32. From there, it will become a single-elimination knockout tournament until the final. The easiest way to fully understand the scope of this tournament is to break it down into stages.
The group stage: The group stage consists of 48 teams divided into 12 groups labeled A to L; every team plays three round-robin matches.
The advancement stage: All 12 group winners and 12 runner-ups will automatically advance to the knockout stage. To fill the remaining spots, the eight best third-place teams, determined by points, then goal difference, as well as tiebreakers, also move forward.
The progression stage: The tournament proceeds in traditional “win or go home” fashion, through the round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and then, finally, the finals.
As a result, the tournament will now feature 104 matches. This is a huge increase from the traditional 64 in previous World Cups. The teams that make it to the finals must also win an additional knockout round, which makes the journey to the trophy extensive and challenging.
Following this expansion in format, Mexico makes history as being the only country to host or co-host the World Cup for the third time. It is also notable that this is the first time Canada will be hosting, while the U.S. returns as a host for the first time since 1994. Eleven U.S. cities will be hosting, including Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey, throughout June and July. The final tournament will take place on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in New York.
Favorites to win
There is a lot of chatter and speculation about who the 2026 World Cup champions will be; the teams getting the most attention are Spain and France. According to ESPN, “Spain is the consensus favorite across the sportsbook marketplace to win the World Cup, showing +450 at DraftKings Sportsbook. France is either the co-favorite or second favorite across the marketplace, with odds ranging from +450 to +500 from book to book.” There is also talk of Brazil, England and Argentina becoming the champions.
The new era for The World Cup
Fans have filled city stadiums from Mexico City to Toronto and Los Angeles to New York. The 2026 World Cup signals a new era for both football enthusiasts and players. With new teams participating, an expanded match schedule and a wider international presence, this tournament supports FIFA’s commitment to make the World Cup a global celebration of the sport.
