explainer
A snapshot of teams, groups, schedules and stadiums eligible to host World Cup matches.
Published June 10, 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This year’s soccer tournament will be the largest World Cup ever held, with the number of national teams participating expanded from 32 to 48.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
In this visual commentary, Al Jazeera examines the teams, groups, match schedules, host stadiums and prize money that qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Who are the 48 teams that qualified?
For the first time in the tournament’s history, 48 teams will take part in the world’s biggest soccer tournament, the first time there were 32 teams since France in 1998, and up from 24 teams from 1982 to 1994 and 16 teams before that.
The three hosts – the United States, Mexico and Canada – automatically qualified, while the remaining 45 teams earned their spots through a two-year qualification process across FIFA’s six continental confederations.
Who is the group?
The tournament will involve 12 groups of 4 teams. The top two teams in each group automatically advance to the knockout stage, joined by the top eight teams in the top three. That means 32 out of 48 teams will advance. A new round of 32 will then narrow the field further.
When will each team play?
There will be 72 matches in the group stage and 32 matches in the knockout round for a total of 104 matches, up from 64 matches in Qatar 2022. The diagram below shows when each team will play in the group stage.
What time is the World Cup match in my time zone?
Use the widget below to see exactly when your team is playing in your local time.
Where will the match be held?
Matches will be held in 16 cities across three countries. The United States will host 78 games in 11 stadiums, while Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in three and two stadiums, respectively.
When and where will the opening game be held?
The opening match will be held at the Mexico City Stadium on June 11th at 13:00 local time (19:00 GMT), with hosts Mexico facing South Africa in Group A. It will be a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opening match, which ended 1-1 in Johannesburg.
Where will the finals be held?
The final will be held on Sunday, July 19th at New Jersey Stadium in New York, kicking off at 15:00 local time (19:00 GMT) in front of a crowd of 82,500.
Which team has won the most titles?
Eight different teams have won the Men’s FIFA World Cup since the first edition in 1930.
Brazil has won the title five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).
Mexico has previously hosted the world championships twice, in 1970 and 1986, and the United States hosted the championships in 1994. This is the first time Canada will co-host the tournament.
How much is the prize?
This year’s winning team will receive an 18-karat gold-plated trophy as well as a record $50 million in prize money, up from $42 million for the 2022 edition in Qatar. The diagram below shows how prize money has grown from $2.2 million in 1982 to $50 million in 2026.
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11th. Check out Al Jazeera’s dedicated 2026 World Cup page for all the latest news, fixtures and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings, real-time results and schedules.
