2026 FIFA World Cup Overview

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States across 16 cities. This will be the first time the World Cup is hosted by three nations and the first North American World Cup since 1994.

Format and Expansion

The tournament will be the first to feature 48 teams, expanded from 32, with the teams split into 12 groups of 4. The top two teams from each group, along with the 8 best third-placed teams, will progress to a round of 32. This marks the first major format change since 1998, and the total number of games will increase from 64 to 104.

Schedule and Defending Champion

The event will return to its traditional northern summer schedule after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was held in November and December. Argentina is the defending champion, having won its third title in 2022.

Historical Significance

Mexico, which previously hosted in 1970 and 1986, will become the first country to host the men's World Cup three times. This will also be the first World Cup for Canada. The tournament will coincide with the United States' semiquincentennial anniversary.

Format Details

The expanded format, which had been discussed since 2013, will see teams play more matches than before. Originally, there was a proposal for 16 groups of 3 teams, but this was later revised to 12 groups of 4. Despite concerns about the quality of matches and potential for collusion between teams, the new format will see each team play three group-stage matches, with a total of 56 days for the combined rest, release, and tournament period.

Host Selection

The decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams was approved in 2017, after a process that included evaluating bids from various confederations. The 2026 World Cup will be the first to involve co-hosting since 2002, and the bid from Canada, Mexico, and the United States was officially announced in 2017.