The 2026 World Cup kicks off this week with a new format for Fifa’s giant 48-team tournament.
With the final squads being named, teams will now prepare for their first group stage games in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Excitement is building and history will be made, as players carve out their own legacies to join some of the greatest footballers in Fifa World Cup history.
There will be 104 matches, up 40 since Qatar World Cup 2022, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.
Here’s how the tournament will unfold across 39 action-packed days
World Cup 2026 groups
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
The World Cup will begin in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup.
It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986, where Jorge Burruchaga grabbed an 84th-minute winner.
Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78.
From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
When does the World Cup start and finish?
The tournament begins in Mexico on 11 June, and concludes with the final in New Jersey on 19 July.
Who will win the World Cup?
European countries top the list with UK bookmakers as the favourites to lift the trophy with Spain the favourites at 5/1 just ahead of France at 11/2. The French have reached the final in each of the last two editions of the World Cup so they cannot be ruled out for another lengthy run.
Also of note are England and Portugal with most World Cup betting sites placing them at 8/1 and 17/2 respectively while the first non-European nations with the best chance of winning the tournament are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Brazil and Argentina at 9/1 and 11/1 respectively.
Use our World Cup odds comparison tool below to find the best prices.
