The wait is over. The World Cup is officially here! 48 teams, 48 key questions answered to get you clued up for this summer’s fiesta of football. It’s going to be fun.
When does the World Cup start and finish?
The World Cup officially gets under way on Thursday, June 11 when Mexico face South Africa at 8pm BST, with an opening ceremony starting 90 minutes before the big kick-off.
The final will take place on Sunday July 19 in New Jersey, kick-off 8pm BST.
Where is it taking place?
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across three countries for the first time – USA, Mexico and Canada.
The USA previously hosted the tournament in 1994, while Mexico was the host nation in 1970 and 1986. Canada has never previously hosted the World Cup.
There are 16 stadiums hosting matches during the tournament – 11 in the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico.
Who’s qualified?
This World Cup is the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from 32 previously – and you can find the full list here.
Sweden, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Iraq and DR Congo all qualified through play-offs.
Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and England are among the big hitters – but there’s no Italy, Serbia, Greece or Hungary from Europe. Nigeria and Cameroon – African nations with World Cup pedigree miss out, while there’s no place for global powers China and India.
FIFA indefinitely suspended Russia in February 2022 due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Cape Verde, one of the debutants
Who are the debutants?
In total, there are four debuting nations at this year’s World Cup. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan have all qualified for the very first time.
Everything you need to know about Curacao
It is the highest number of newcomers in a single tournament since six countries made their debuts during the 2006 World Cup. Interestingly, only two of those countries are represented two decades later – Ivory Coast and Ghana.
How will 48 teams affect the format?
The World Cup previously featured eight groups of four teams. Each team would play the other teams in their group once, with the best two in each group progressing to the last 16.
The addition of 16 more sides means the 2026 tournament will have 12 groups of four.
Again, each team plays the other teams in their group once.
The best two sides – plus the eight best-ranked third-placed sides from the 12 groups – progress to the last 32, meaning there is an extra knockout round.
Who are the favourites?
According to Sky Bet, France and Spain are the joint favourites at 9/2. Thomas Tuchel’s England follow at 13/2, with Brazil next at 8/1.
Defending champions Argentina and Portugal both go into the tournament with odds of 10/1.
Who could spring a surprise?
Despite having struggled to convince anyone pre-tournament, the United States may hope that being a host nation could work in their favour. In the previous 22 World Cups, the host nation has failed to progress to the knockouts just three times.
On 18 occasions, they have managed to reach at least the quarter-finals.
That could also work in Mexico and Canada’s favour, while other dark horses to watch out for are Erling Haaland’s Norway, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco and Japan, who scored 54 goals in 16 qualification games, conceding just three.
Who are the underdogs?
According to Opta, Haiti, Cape Verde, Curacao, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have a fewer than 0.1 per cent chance of winning the tournament.
Sky Bet have Egypt, South Korea, Algeria, Czech Republic, Ghana, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Panama, New Zealand, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Haiti, DR Congo, Curacao, Cape Verde and Australia as 500/1 shots to win the tournament.
Is there a ‘Group of Death’?
With this being the first-ever 48-team tournament, the 16 extra nations means less chance of a ‘Group of Death’.
However, Group I at this summer’s World Cup does look pretty tasty, containing the likes of two-time champions France, 2021 AFCON champions Senegal, Norway, and with Man City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard among their ranks and Iraq, ranked 57th in the world.
Which of the hosts has the best chance?
At 66/1, United States have been given the best odds of winning the entire competition by Sky Bet. Mexico follow at 80/1, while Canada sit at 150/1.
Mexico will be buoyed by the fact that they beat the United States in the final of the 2025 Gold Cup, so they may be the ones heading into the tournament with greater momentum.
Who’s bagging the Golden Boot?
Sky Bet have Kylian Mbappe as the favourite to claim a second consecutive golden boot, with the Frenchman valued at 11/2. England captain Harry Kane is the second favourite at 13/2.
Other notable names include Erling Haaland at 12/1, Lionel Messi at 14/1, Lamine Yamal at 16/1, Cristiano Ronaldo at 18/1, and both Vinicius Junior and Ousmane Dembele at 22/1.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldoare entering their sixth World Cups
Can Ronaldo and Messi meet?
Despite both players entering their sixth World Cups, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are yet to face off. However, should both Argentina and Portugal win their respective groups, the pair will be on course to meet in the quarter-finals, provided they make it through their Round of 32 and 16 games.
If both teams finished second, then it creates a scenario where they would meet earlier in the round of 16. However, if one team tops their group and the other finishes second, they would only be able to compete against each other in the final
Will VAR be used?
Bad news for anyone who has a gripe with VAR – we’re getting even more of it at the World Cup. Apologies to those of you affected by this difficult news!
VAR will now also be able to rule on incorrectly awarded second yellow cards and corners, cases of mistaken identity and offences before a set-piece is taken.
How many subs can be used?
Teams are allowed to make a maximum of five substitutions per match, with a sixth substitution permitted if the game goes into extra-time.
Teams are allowed a maximum of three windows, plus half-time, to make these five changes. Additionally, players must exit the pitch within 10 seconds of being substituted or their replacement must wait on the sidelines for one minute.
How do yellow card bans work at the tournament?
Players must serve a one-game ban if they are shown a yellow card in two different games.
However, once the group stage is complete, players’ disciplinary records will be wiped and start afresh. The same will occur after the quarter-finals.
