World Cup 2026: Complete guide to biggest ever Fifa tournament
This is your complete guide to the Fifa World Cup 2026 before it begins this week in Mexico, Canada and the US.
The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest ever, with 48 teams competing, a record 104 games to be played, and three countries hosting for the first time.
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The US, Mexico and Canada will all host games in the Fifa spectacle, where Argentina will be looking to defend their title and England will aim for their first victory in 60 years.
Additionally, Scotland have qualified for the first time since 1998 while there will be an unprecedented eight players over the age of 40 in squads, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among those surely in their final squads.
The World Cup has already courted controversy, with the strict US visa system stopping a Somalian referee from taking part, while ticket prices have been higher than ever.
With the big kick-off imminent, here is all you need to know for 2026.
When is the World Cup?
The World Cup will begin on Thursday, June 11, and the final will be on Sunday, July 19.
There will be 104 matches over the five weeks.
England begin their campaign on June 17 and Scotland face Haiti in their opener on June 14.
Every World Cup stadium
The World Cup has the majority of its games in the US, but Mexico and Canada will share duties, with the three sides all set to play their group stage matches at home.
MetLife Stadium, a stone's throw from New York, will host the final while the first match of the tournament will see Mexico play South Africa in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Full list of World Cup 2026 stadiums
- MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, US - capacity 82,500
- AT&T Stadium, Dallas, US - capacity 94,000
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, US - capacity 75,000
- NRG Stadium, Houston, US - capacity 72,000
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, US - capacity 73,000
- SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, US - capacity 70,000
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, US - capacity 65,000
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, US - capacity 69,000
- Lumen Field, Seattle, US - capacity 69,000
- Gillette Stadium, Boston, US - capacity 65,000
- Levi's Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area, US - capacity 71,000
- BMO Field, Toronto, Canada - capacity 45,000
- BC Place, Vancouver, Canada - capacity 54,000
- Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - capacity 83,000
- Estadio Akron, Guadalajara, Mexico - capacity 48,000
- Estadio BBVA, Monterrey, Mexico - capacity 53,500
Every England and Scotland group stage match
England v Croatia
- Date and time: Wednesday, June 17, 9pm [BST]
- Venue: Dallas Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
England v Ghana
- Date and time: Tuesday, June 23, 9pm,
- Venue: Boston Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
Panama v England
- Date and time: Saturday, June 27, at 10pm,
- Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Haiti v Scotland
- Date and time: Sunday, June 14, at 2am
- Venue: Boston Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
Scotland v Morocco
- Date and time: Friday, June 19, at 11pm
- Venue: Boston Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
Scotland v Brazil
- Date and time: Wednesday, June 24, at 11pm
- Venue: Miami Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
UK TV guide for watching World Cup
All of the games will be broadcast in the UK either on the BBC or on ITV, while BBC Radio 5 Live will also have commentary.
World Cup 2026 odds
According to Oddschecker, Spain are the 5/1 favourites, with France second at 6/1 and England are third at 8/1.
Kylian Mbappe is 6/1 favourite to be the top scorer.
The full World Cup 2026 draw
All teams will play each other in the group and the first two will qualify automatically for the second round, while all those in fourth place will be eliminated.
Teams that finish third will then be compared. Across the groups, the eight third-place teams with the most points (or with the best goal difference in the event of a tie) will also advance.
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Czech Republic
Group B
- Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Turkey
Group E
- Germany
- Curaçao
- 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
- DR Congo
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama