The FIFA World Cup 2026 is almost here. This year's tournament will be the biggest in its 96-year history. It will feature the best football talent from around the world.
Here are the top five things to know about the upcoming World Cup.
World Cup Across Three Countries
For the first time, a FIFA World Cup will be played in three countries. The United States, Mexico, and Canada will host the matches.
Past World Cups were held in one country, except for 2002 when Japan and South Korea co-hosted. The 2030 World Cup will also be across three countries: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
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Start Your News DetoxSixteen stadiums in 16 cities across North America will host 104 matches over 39 days.
More Teams and an Extra Knockout Round
This World Cup will have 48 teams, making it the largest ever. Europe has 16 direct slots, Africa has nine, and Asia has eight.
More teams mean more games. For the first time, the knockout stage will start with a round of 32.
The winning team will play eight games to lift the trophy. This is one more game than Argentina played to win in Qatar four years ago.
NFL-Style Half-Time Show for the Final
The 2026 World Cup final will have a half-time show, just like the NFL's Super Bowl. This is a first for a football World Cup.
The show will happen during the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York. K-pop group BTS, Madonna, and Shakira will headline. Chris Martin of Coldplay will curate the 11-minute show.
A similar half-time show was held at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final. That event featured Doja Cat and J Balvin.
The Beautiful Kits
The new team kits created a lot of excitement when they were released in March. Adidas designed many popular jerseys.
Japan's home kit features a bright blue with a ribbed pattern. Curacao's away shirt is lemon yellow, inspired by buildings in Willemstad.
Other notable kits include Argentina's black and blue away kit with Fileteado folk art. France's dark blue home kit has a white collar. South Africa's away kit is gold and forest green with triangular stripe patterns.
New Pre-Game Ceremony
FIFA announced a new pre-game ceremony a week before the tournament starts.
Before each game, all players in the squad will line up around the center circle. This happens before the national anthems.
The ceremony will include large country flag banners. Players will enter the pitch through a special arch. FIFA says this will make the stadium a "shared stage" and involve the crowd.
The opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 will feature this new ceremony.
