2026 FIFA World Cup

2026 FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup 26 Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 (Spanish) Coupe du Monde de la FIFA 2026 (French)
Tournament details
Host countries	Canada Mexico United States
Dates	June 11 – July 19
Teams	48 (from 6 confederations)
Venue	16 (in 16 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	44
Goals scored	134 (3.05 per match)
Attendance	2,851,010 (64,796 per match)
Top scorer	Lionel Messi (5 goals)
← 2022 2030 → All statistics correct as of June 22, 2026.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup^[A] is the 23rd and current FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament began on June 11, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude on July 19.^[3] It is jointly hosted by 16 cities – 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. The tournament is the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from the previous 32-team format.

The United 2026 bid beat a rival bid by Morocco during a final vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. It is the first World Cup since 2002 to be co-hosted by multiple nations. With its past hosting of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, Mexico became the first country to host or co-host the World Cup three times. The United States previously hosted the World Cup in 1994. By contrast, it is Canada's first time hosting or co-hosting the tournament. The event is returning to its traditional Northern Hemisphere summer schedule after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was uniquely held in November and December.

As the host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the United States all automatically qualified. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan all made their World Cup debuts. Argentina is the defending champion, having won its third World Cup in 2022.

Preparations for the tournament have drawn controversy, particularly over the United States' immigration and visa policies affecting qualified teams and their fans, Iran's participation during the ongoing 2026 Iran war, security concerns surrounding drug cartel violence in Mexico, and FIFA's use of dynamic ticket pricing.

The idea of expanding the tournament had been suggested as early as 2013 by then UEFA president Michel Platini,^[4][5] and also in 2016 by current FIFA president Gianni Infantino.^[6] Opponents of the proposal argued that the number of matches played was already at an unacceptable level, that the expansion would dilute the quality of the matches,^[7][8] and that the decision was driven by political rather than sporting concerns, accusing Infantino of using the promise of bringing more countries to the World Cup to win his election.^[9]

Starting with this edition, the FIFA World Cup expanded to 48 teams, an increase of 16 teams compared to the previous seven tournaments.^[10] The teams will be split into 12 groups of 4 teams, with the top 2 teams in each group and the 8 best third-placed teams progressing to a new round of 32, as approved by the FIFA Council on March 14, 2023.^[11] This is set to be the first expansion and format change since 1998.^[12]

The total number of matches played increased from 64 to 104, and the number of matches played by teams reaching the final four will increase from 7 to 8. The tournament will last 39 days, an increase from 32 days of the 2014 and 2018 tournaments.^[13][14] Each team will still play 3 group matches.^[15][16] The final matchday at club level for players named in the final squads is May 24, 2026; clubs have to release their players by May 25, with exceptions granted to players participating in continental club competition finals up until May 30. The 56 days of the combined rest, release, and tournament periods remain identical to the 2010, 2014, and 2018 tournaments.^[11]

The expansion to 48 teams had already been approved on January 10, 2017, when it was initially decided that the tournament would include 16 groups of 3 teams, and 80 matches in total, with the top two teams of each group progressing to a round of 32.^[10][17] Under this later-superseded format, the maximum number of matches per team would have remained at seven, but each team would have played one fewer group match than before. The tournament would still have been completed within 32 days.^[18] This format was initially chosen over three other proposals, ranging from 40 to 48 teams, from 76 to 88 matches, and from one to four minimum matches per team.^[19][20][21]

Critics of this format argued that the use of three-team groups with two teams progressing significantly increased the risk of collusion between teams.^[22] This prompted FIFA to suggest that penalty shootouts may be used to prevent draws in the group stage,^[23] although even then some risk of collusion would remain, and a possibility would emerge of teams deliberately losing shootouts to eliminate a rival.^[22] To address these concerns, FIFA continued considering alternative formats^[24]—a process that ended with the 2023 announcement that the format would be 12 groups of 4 teams.^[25]

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces several rule changes. In accordance with IFAB, these are primarily designed to reduce time-wasting. The new rules for the tournament include:^[26]

• 10-second substitutions: Players being substituted have 10 seconds to exit the pitch, otherwise the substitute must wait for one minute before entering the match.
• 5-second restarts: A visual 5-second countdown can be shown by the referee for throw-ins and goal kicks in situations of time-wasting. If the ball is not put into play in time, possession is awarded to the opposing team.
• Medical treatment: Any outfield player who receives medical attention on the pitch must leave the field and wait for 1 minute before returning to play.
• Expanded video assistant referee (VAR): VAR can now review and overturn clear mistakes on given second yellow cards, wrongly awarded corner kicks, expanded mistaken identity, and certain attacking fouls.
• Mouth-covering red cards: To stop confrontational or insulting behavior hidden from lip-reading, any player who covers his mouth with his hand, arm, or shirt while confronting an opponent will be shown a red card.
• Player leaving the pitch in protest: Players or officials who leave the field in protest will be shown a red card.

The tiebreakers for when teams finish the group stage equal on points also changed. The first tiebreaker is now the number of points earned in head-to-head matches between the tied teams, not goal difference.^[27][28][29]

Cooling or hydration breaks were introduced at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA introduced mandatory 3-minute hydration breaks in every half for all matches. Broadcasters are permitted to run commercials during these pauses.^[30]

The match schedule, without group assignments, was announced on February 4, 2024.^[3][31][32] On June 13, 2024, FIFA released an updated schedule, with specific pairings assigned to venues for the knockout stage.^[33] In addition, group stage matches were assigned to specific groups (though pairings for non-host groups were not assigned to specific matches until after the final draw; thus the group venues were known, but not for which specific pairing each matchday). The full schedule was unveiled in a live broadcast on December 6, 2025, the day after the draw. Group stage pairings were allocated to specific matches, and the kickoff times were confirmed for all fixtures.^[34]

The final match will feature the first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show in FIFA World Cup history. Produced by Global Citizen and curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, the performance will co-headline Madonna, Shakira, and BTS to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.^[35]

The opening match was announced to include Mexico; it took place on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This match included South Africa.^[36] The opening match involving Canada took place on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, while the opening match for the United States took place on the same day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Each host nation is scheduled to play each of its three matches in the group stage within its own country.^[31]

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, will host the most matches of any venue at the tournament, with nine. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, will host the final on July 19. The United States will host 78 matches, including from the quarterfinal stage onward, while Canada and Mexico will each host 13. Each tournament venue, except for the Estadio Akron, will host at least one knockout stage fixture.^[37] The match schedule will overlap with the 2026 CFL season, resulting in scheduling conflicts and loss of home games for the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions.^[38][39] The match schedule will also affect the 2026 Major League Baseball season schedules of the Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers, whose home stadiums are located near World Cup venues.^[40]

Host cities were geographically grouped into three regions:^[3]

• Western Region (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles)
• Central Region (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City)
• Eastern Region (Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey)

The FIFA Council went back and forth between 2013 and 2017 on limitations within hosting rotation based on the continental confederations.^[41][42] Finally, the FIFA Council decided to make an exception to potentially grant eligibility to member associations of the confederation of the second-to-last host of the FIFA World Cup in the event that none of the received bids fulfill the strict technical and financial requirements.^[43][44] In March 2017, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that "Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) are excluded from the bidding following the selection of Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively."^[45] Therefore, the 2026 World Cup could be hosted by one of the remaining four confederations: CONCACAF (North America; last hosted in 1994), CAF (Africa; last hosted in 2010), CONMEBOL (South America; last hosted in 2014), or OFC (Oceania, never hosted before), or potentially by AFC or UEFA in case no bid from the others met the requirements.^[46]

Co-hosting the FIFA World Cup—which had been banned by FIFA after the 2002 World Cup—was approved for the 2026 World Cup, though not limited to a specific number, but instead evaluated on a case-by-case basis.^[43] Canada, Mexico, and the United States had each publicly considered bidding for the tournament separately, but the United joint bid was announced on April 10, 2017.^[47][48] On August 11, 2017, the Moroccan bid was officially announced.^[49]

The voting took place on June 13, 2018, during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, and it was opened to all 203 eligible members.^[50] The United bid won with 134 valid ballots, while the Morocco bid received 65 valid ballots.^[48][51] Iran voted for neither of the two bids, while Cuba, Slovenia, and Spain abstained from voting. Ghana was suspended by FIFA due to a corruption scandal and was therefore ineligible to vote.^{[52][53][54][55][56]}

Voting results

Nation	Vote
	Round 1
Canada, Mexico, United States	134
Morocco	65
None of the bids	1
Abstentions	3
Total valid votes	200
Required for majority	101

During the bidding process, 41 cities with 42 existing, fully functional venues with regular tenants (except Montreal) and two venues under construction (Las Vegas and Los Angeles) submitted to be part of the bid (three venues in three cities in Mexico; six venues in six cities in Canada; 35 venues in 32 cities in the United States).^[57] A first-round elimination cut nine venues and nine cities. A second-round elimination cut an additional nine venues in six cities, while three venues in three cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, and Vancouver) dropped out due to FIFA's unwillingness to discuss financial details.^[58] After Montreal dropped out in July 2021 due to lack of provincial funding and support to renovate Olympic Stadium,^[59] Vancouver rejoined the bid as a candidate city in April 2022,^[60] bringing the total number to 24 venues, each in its own city or metropolitan area.^[61]

On June 16, 2022, the sixteen host cities (two in Canada, three in Mexico, eleven in the United States) were announced by FIFA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.^[62] Eight of the sixteen chosen stadiums have permanent artificial turf surfaces that are planned to be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and a University of Tennessee–Michigan State University research team. Depending on the venue's climate, the turf used is either a hybrid of 84% Kentucky bluegrass and 16% perennial ryegrass (for cooler temperatures), or Bermuda grass (for warmer temperatures).^[63][64][65]

Four venues (Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver) are indoor stadiums that use retractable roof systems, all equipped with climate control, while a fifth, Los Angeles, is open-air but has a translucent roof and no climate control.^[66] The host of the final match—MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey—was announced by FIFA on February 4, 2024.^[67]

Although there are soccer-specific stadiums in Canada and the United States, the largest dedicated soccer-specific stadium in the United States, Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, seats 30,000, which falls short of FIFA's minimum of 40,000 (Toronto's BMO Field is being expanded from 30,000 to 45,500 for this tournament).^[68] Stadiums including Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; and Lumen Field in Seattle are used by National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) teams.^[69] Although primarily used for gridiron football, with the American stadiums hosting NFL teams and Canada's hosting the Canadian Football League (CFL), all of the Canadian and American stadiums have been used on numerous occasions for soccer and are also designed to host that sport.^[70]

Mexico City is the only capital of the three host nations chosen as a venue site; Ottawa and Washington, D.C., joined Bonn (West Germany, 1974) and Tokyo (Japan, 2002) as the only capital cities not selected to host World Cup matches. Washington was a host city candidate, but the poor state of Northwest Stadium caused the city to combine its bid with nearby Baltimore's, which was unsuccessful. Other cities eliminated from the final hosting list were Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, and Edmonton. Ottawa's candidate venue, TD Place Stadium, was eliminated early on for insufficient capacity.^[71] Though eight of the metropolitan areas hosting games had previously hosted World Cup games (Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, New York/New Jersey, and Boston in 1994; Guadalajara and Mexico City in both 1970 and 1986; Monterrey in 1986), Estadio Azteca is the only stadium in this tournament that previously hosted World Cup games, having done so in both 1970 and 1986; none of the stadiums used in the 1994 FIFA World Cup will be used in this tournament (though MetLife Stadium is located at the same site as one of the 1994 venues, Giants Stadium).^[72] Soldier Field in Chicago, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Los Angeles area) were the only stadiums in the bidding process to have hosted games in 1994, but none of them were selected.^[57]

FIFA's rules on stadium sponsorships required the venues to use alternative names for the duration of the tournament, shown below in parentheses.^[73][74] The capacity is based on information published by FIFA.^[74]

Key

† denotes a stadium used for previous men's World Cup tournaments.

‡ denotes an indoor stadium with a fixed or retractable roof with interior climate control.

List of tournament venues

City	Stadium	No. of Matches	Capacity	Image
Mexico City	Estadio Azteca† (Mexico City Stadium)	5 (including 2 knockout matches)	80,824
New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford, New Jersey)	MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium)	8 (including 2 knockout matches and the Final)	80,663
Dallas (Arlington, Texas)	AT&T Stadium‡ (Dallas Stadium)	9 (including 4 knockout matches)	70,649
Los Angeles (Inglewood, California)	SoFi Stadium‡ (Los Angeles Stadium)	8 (including 3 knockout matches)	70,492
Kansas City	Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium)	6 (including 2 knockout matches)	69,045
San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara, California)	Levi's Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)	6 (including 1 knockout match)	68,827
Houston	NRG Stadium‡ (Houston Stadium)	7 (including 2 knockout matches)	68,777
Philadelphia	Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium)	6 (including 1 knockout match)	68,324
Atlanta	Mercedes-Benz Stadium‡ (Atlanta Stadium)	8 (including 3 knockout matches)	68,239
Seattle	Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium)	6 (including 2 knockout matches)	66,925
Miami (Miami Gardens, Florida)	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium)	7 (including 3 knockout matches)	64,478
Boston (Foxborough, Massachusetts)	Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium)	7 (including 2 knockout matches)	64,146
Vancouver	BC Place‡ (BC Place Vancouver)	7 (including 2 knockout matches)	52,497
Monterrey (Guadalupe, Nuevo León)	Estadio BBVA (Estadio Monterrey)	4 (including 1 knockout match)	51,243
Guadalajara (Zapopan, Jalisco)	Estadio Akron (Estadio Guadalajara)	4	45,664
Toronto	BMO Field (Toronto Stadium)	6 (including 1 knockout match)	43,036

The United Bid personnel anticipated that all three host countries would be awarded automatic berths.^[75] On August 31, 2022, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that six CONCACAF teams would qualify for the World Cup, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualifying as hosts.^[76][77] This was confirmed by the FIFA Council on February 14, 2023.^[78][79]

Immediately prior to the 67th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting in Manama, Bahrain.^[80][81] This included an inter-confederation playoff tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.^[82] The six teams in the playoffs comprised one team from each confederation excluding UEFA, and one additional team from the confederation of the host countries (CONCACAF). Two of the teams were seeded based on the World Rankings, and they played the winners of two knockout matches between the four unseeded teams for the two FIFA World Cup berths. The four-match tournament was played in Mexico, one of the host countries, and was also used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.^[80]

The ratification of slot allocation also gave the OFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time: the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth and also the first time since the 2010 edition in which all confederations have a team qualified for the World Cup finals.^[80]

Of the 48 qualified teams, 26 also appeared in the 2022 edition. Highlights include:

• Cape Verde,^[83] Curaçao,^[B][84] Jordan, and Uzbekistan^[C][85] made their World Cup debuts.
• Qatar qualified for the tournament through qualification for the first time, as its only previous appearance was as host in 2022.^[86]
• DR Congo^[D] and Haiti returned to the tournament after appearing in their only previous tournament in 1974.^[84][87]
• Iraq returned to the tournament after appearing in its only previous tournament in 1986.^[88]
• Austria, Norway,^[89] and Scotland returned to the tournament after last appearing in 1998.^[90]
• Turkey qualified for the first time since finishing third in 2002.^[91]
• Czech Republic^[E] qualified for the first time since 2006.^[92]
• New Zealand, Paraguay, and South Africa (2010 World Cup host) returned after last taking part in 2010.^[93] South Africa achieved its first successful qualifying campaign since 2002 while New Zealand was the lowest ranked team to qualify, ranked 85th.^[94]
• Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ivory Coast qualified for the first time since 2014. Bosnia achieved its first successful qualification process for a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup.
• Colombia, Egypt, Panama, and Sweden returned after missing the previous tournament in 2022.

Four-time champion Italy missed out after being defeated in the European playoff final by Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, becoming the first former champion to miss out on three consecutive World Cups;^[95] as in 2018 and 2022, Italy was the only former champion that did not qualify. With a FIFA Men's World Ranking of 12, Italy was also the highest-ranking team that did not qualify. Costa Rica failed to qualify for the first time since 2010, while Cameroon, Denmark, Poland, Serbia, and Wales, all of whom qualified in 2022, did not qualify.^[96] Nigeria, the 3rd-highest ranked African nation, missed out on qualification for the second straight finals, while in South America, Peru missed out on their second straight finals and Chile their third.

For the second time in a row, all the hosts of the next edition (Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and the three special hosts Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay) have qualified after the United States, Mexico, and Canada did this in the 2022 edition.

The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIFA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:^[97]

The draw took place on December 5, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.^[98] The draw ceremony began with FIFA presenting the first (and as of 2026 the only) FIFA Peace Prize to United States president Donald Trump,^[99] an award which fueled scrutiny and controversy among human rights groups, analysts, and others.^{[100][101][102][103]}

The 48 teams were divided into four pots of 12. Pot 1 consisted of the three hosts and the top nine teams from the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Ranking. Pots 2, 3, and 4 consisted of the remaining teams according to the ranking. The four winners of the UEFA playoffs and the two winners of the inter-confederation playoffs were not known at the time of the draw and thus were automatically allocated to Pot 4. The 12 groups were randomly formed by selecting one team from each of the four pots. With the exception of UEFA, no group could have more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it.^[104][105]

The three host nations were pre-allocated to three groups for scheduling purposes. Mexico was placed in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D.^[3][106]

The confederation restriction applied to all three potential winners of the inter-confederation playoffs. FIFA also announced that, "in the interest of ensuring competitive balance", the teams ranked first (Spain) and second (Argentina) in the ranking were randomly drawn into groups in opposite pathways, as were the teams ranked third (France) and fourth (England). Therefore, should these pairs of teams win their groups, they will be unable to meet until the final, while all four will be unable to meet until the semifinals.^[107] The draw started with Pot 1 and ended with Pot 4, with each team selected and then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. For the purpose of the match schedule, the Pot 1 teams were automatically drawn into position 1 of each group. For the remaining pots, FIFA established a predetermined pattern to define the position of teams based on their pot and the group they were drawn into.

Pots^[N]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
United States (co-host) (14)  Mexico (co-host) (15)  Canada (co-host) (27)  Spain (1)  Argentina (2)  France (3)  England (4)  Brazil (5)  Portugal (6)  Netherlands (7)  Belgium (8)  Germany (9)	Croatia (10)  Morocco (11)  Colombia (13)  Uruguay (16)  Switzerland (17)  Japan (18)  Senegal (19)  Iran (20)  South Korea (22)  Ecuador (23)  Austria (24)  Australia (26)	Norway (29)  Panama (30)  Egypt (34)  Algeria (35)  Scotland (36)  Paraguay (39)  Tunisia (40)  Ivory Coast (42)  Uzbekistan (50)  Qatar (51)  Saudi Arabia (60)  South Africa (61)	Jordan (66)  Cape Verde (68)  Ghana (72)  Curaçao (82)  Haiti (84)  New Zealand (86) UEFA Path A winner[O] UEFA Path B winner[O] UEFA Path C winner[O] UEFA Path D winner[O] IC Path 1 winner[O][P] IC Path 2 winner[O][Q]

Base camps were used by the 48 squads to stay and train at before and during the World Cup tournament.^{[109][110][111][112]}

Before submitting their final squad for the tournament, teams named a provisional squad of between 35 and 55 players one month prior to the tournament. Teams were required to name their final squads by June 2. If a player becomes too injured or ill to prevent his participation in the tournament, he can be replaced by another player from the provisional squad until 24 hours before the team's first match. However, an injured or ill goalkeeper may be replaced by another goalkeeper from the provisional squad at any time during the tournament.^[113]

On April 9, 2026, FIFA announced the list of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees for the tournament.^[114][115]

The tournament featured three opening ceremonies, one for each of the hosts.^[116] The opening ceremony in Mexico took place on June 11, 2026, at Estadio Banorte.^[117] Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández performed "Himno Nacional Mexicano" and South African singer Tyla performed the "National anthem of South Africa"^[118] The next day, on June 12, 2026, the opening ceremony in Canada took place at BMO Field in Toronto. Canadian-American musician Alanis Morissette performed "O Canada" while Serbian-Canadian violinist Aleksandar Gajić performed "Državna himna Bosne i Hercegovine".^[119] On the same day, the opening ceremony for the United States took place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. American country duo Dan + Shay performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" while Paraguayan soul duo Purahei Soul performed "Himno Nacional Paraguayo".^[120]

In addition, two special ceremonies will take place on July 4, 2026, to honor the United States Semiquincentennial at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and NRG Stadium in Houston.^[121]

The round-robin group stage is being played in twelve groups (A to L) of four teams each, from June 11 to 27.^[122] Teams are awarded three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. Following the conclusion of group play, the top two teams of each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

All times are local.

Tie-breaking criteria for group stage ranking

The ranking of teams in each group is determined by the points obtained in all group matches. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria are used to determine the ranking:[123] Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned; Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned; Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned; If, after having applied criteria a to c, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria a to c are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who are still level to determine their final rankings.[R] If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria d to h apply. Superior goal difference in all group matches; Most goals scored in all group matches; Highest team conduct ("fair play") score in all group matches (only one deduction can be applied to a player or team coach/official in a single match): Yellow card: −1 point; Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points; Direct red card: −4 points; Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points; Better position in the most recent FIFA Men's World Ranking; Better position in progressively older FIFA Men's World Rankings until teams can be separated.

In the opening match of the tournament, co-host Mexico faced South Africa. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring for Mexico within ten minutes, and Raúl Jiménez scored Mexico's second goal to achieve a 2–0 victory. Three direct red cards (the most in a World Cup opening match) were given during the game, one each to Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane of South Africa, and one to Mexico's César Montes.^[124] On the same day, South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2–1.^[125]

Facing South Africa, the Czech Republic took the lead early on thanks to Michal Sadílek.^[126] Teboho Mokoena converted a penalty kick to equalize the score and produce a draw.^[127] Mexico defeated South Korea and became the first team to qualify for the knockout stage.^[128][129]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Mexico (H, A)	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3	6	Knockout stage
2	South Korea	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3
3	Czech Republic	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	1	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	South Africa	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	1

---

---

In Group B, co-host Canada opened its World Cup campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jovo Lukić of Bosnia scored during the first half, while Cyle Larin of Canada scored during the second half. The draw gave Canada its first-ever World Cup point.^[130] Switzerland opened its campaign against Qatar with a penalty by Breel Embolo despite offside claims.^[131] However, Switzerland conceded a late equalizing goal after Miro Muheim accidentally deflected the ball into the Swiss net, giving Qatar its first-ever World Cup point.^[131]

Switzerland played Bosnia and Herzegovina to a scoreless first half in their match. In the 74th minute, Johan Manzambi broke the deadlock. Rubén Vargas followed up shortly after Tarik Muharemović was sent off. Manzambi scored a brace in the 90th minute, and Ermin Mahmić scored Bosnia's lone goal before conceding a penalty converted by Granit Xhaka.^[132] Canada won its first-ever World Cup match against Qatar, with a final score of 6–0 thanks to a hat trick from Jonathan David, goals from Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba, and an own goal by Mohamed Manai. Qatari players Homam Ahmed and Assim Madibo both received red cards, the latter for a late challenge from behind on Ismaël Koné, which fractured both the fibula and tibia of the Canadian's left leg.^[133]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Canada (H)	2	1	1	0	7	1	+6	4	Knockout stage
2	Switzerland	2	1	1	0	5	2	+3	4
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	0	1	1	2	5	−3	1	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Qatar	2	0	1	1	1	7	−6	1

---

---

Morocco took the lead over Brazil early in the first half with a goal from Ismael Saibari; Brazil responded quickly with a goal from Vinícius Júnior 11 minutes later. The second half produced no further goals and the two ultimately earned a point apiece.^[134][135] Meanwhile, Scotland bested Haiti to top the group after the first matchday, with John McGinn's first half goal proving enough to record Scotland's first World Cup match victory since 1990.^[136]

An early goal 71 seconds into the match from Ismael Saibari gave Morocco the lead over Scotland. Despite efforts from Scotland to equalize, Morocco dominated the game.^[137] Haiti started its match against Brazil with resilient, high-tempo play, but three goals conceded in the first half to Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha sealed the Haitians' departure from the World Cup, being the first team to be eliminated.^[138]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Brazil	2	1	1	0	4	1	+3	4	Knockout stage
2	Morocco	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1	4
3	Scotland	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	3	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Haiti (E)	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4	0

---

---

In Group D, co-host United States faced Paraguay in its opening match. In the first ten minutes, the United States scored off a deflection from Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla. Folarin Balogun debuted with two goals in the first half, scoring the United States' first World Cup brace since 1930. In the second half, Maurício reduced the deficit for Paraguay, but the United States' Giovanni Reyna scored a stoppage-time curled shot to finish proceedings. The co-host scored more goals in this match (four) than it did during the entire 2022 FIFA World Cup (three).^[139] Australia won its opener against Turkey 2–0. Although Turkey had possession of the ball for the majority of the game, Australia's Nestory Irankunda scored in the first half, and Connor Metcalfe added another goal in the second.^[140]

Despite the absence of Christian Pulisic, the United States defeated Australia 2–0, clinching a spot in the knockout stage. Australia once again allowed the opposition to dominate possession; however, the tactic backfired as an early Cameron Burgess own goal and an Alex Freeman header saw the United States earn consecutive World Cup victories for the first time since 1930.^[141] Turkey was eliminated after a 1–0 loss to Paraguay. Just 64 seconds into the match, Matías Galarza scored from a long-range shot outside of the box, becoming the quickest goal scored at the 2026 World Cup to that point. Despite a halftime red card to Miguel Almirón for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Mert Müldür, Turkey failed to score, leading to its elimination.^[142]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	United States (H, A)	2	2	0	0	6	1	+5	6	Knockout stage
2	Australia	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3
3	Paraguay	2	1	0	1	2	4	−2	3	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Turkey (E)	2	0	0	2	0	3	−3	0

---

---

Germany began its campaign against debutant Curaçao. Felix Nmecha scored for the Germans within the first six minutes, but the Curaçaoans scored an equalizer thanks to Livano Comenencia, seeing Curaçao's first ever World Cup goal, in its first ever World Cup game. Later goals by Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Deniz Undav, along with Kai Havertz's brace, sealed a 7–1 victory for the Germans.^[143] Amad Diallo scored a late winner for Ivory Coast, securing a 1–0 victory over Ecuador as the latter failed to capitalize on its chances.^[144]

Germany secured a spot in the knockout stage for the first time since 2014 after beating Ivory Coast 2–1. The first half saw a goal from Franck Kessié after the Germans saw 2 goals disallowed from foul calls. In the second half, Nagelsmann made a triple substitution, which turned the tide for the game. Deniz Undav scored the equaliser from a cross from Nadiem Amiri, and scored a late winner to send the Germans into the knockouts.^[145] Ecuador was held to a 0–0 draw against Curaçao. Despite having 15 shots on target, Ecuador failed to find the back of the net due to Curaçao's disciplined defense and Eloy Room's heroics, earning him a 10 match rating on Sofascore.^[146]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Germany (A)	2	2	0	0	9	2	+7	6	Knockout stage
2	Ivory Coast	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3
3	Ecuador	2	0	1	1	0	1	−1	1	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Curaçao	2	0	1	1	1	7	−6	1

---

---

The Netherlands faced Japan in the opener. In the first half, neither team scored.^[148] Afterward, the match took a turn when Virgil van Dijk's header sealed the Dutch's opening goal, but Keito Nakamura equalized seven minutes later. Crysencio Summerville restored the lead not too long after, but the Netherlands conceded an equalizer after Kōki Ogawa's header bounced off Daichi Kamada into the net right before stoppage time.^[149] Between Sweden and Tunisia, the two nations exchanged goals in the first half: two from Swedes Yasin Ayari and Alexander Isak, and one from Tunisia's Omar Rekik. In the second half, Tunisia conceded from Viktor Gyökeres and Mattias Svanberg, including Ayari's second in stoppage time. Additionally, Svanberg's goal was initially ruled offside, but was reinstated after VAR confirmed that Isak had slightly tipped the ball with his foot, eliminating the offside in question.^[150] Following the match, Tunisia's head coach, Sabri Lamouchi, was dismissed, and replaced by Hervé Renard.^[151]

The Netherlands scored twice against Sweden in the first half with Brian Brobbey scoring a brace within the first twenty minutes of the match. Cody Gakpo followed up with a brace of his own within the first ten minutes of the second half. Despite Anthony Elanga scoring on the 59th minute, which turned out to be the 100th goal in this year's tournament, Crysencio Summerville scored near the end of the match to top off the Dutch's massive win against the Swedes.^[152] Japan scored in the 4th minute from a Daichi Kamada tap-in inside the 6-yard box. Ayase Ueda raised the score to 2–0 from a long-range shot to the bottom corner. In the second half, Junya Itō and Ueda completed a 4–0 win against Tunisia, eliminating them from the World Cup.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Netherlands	2	1	1	0	7	3	+4	4	Knockout stage
2	Japan	2	1	1	0	6	2	+4	4
3	Sweden	2	1	0	1	6	6	0	3	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Tunisia (E)	2	0	0	2	1	9	−8	0

---

---

Belgium started off against Egypt, conceding in the 19th minute by Emam Ashour for his first international goal.^[153] Romelu Lukaku seemingly scored an equalizer in the 66th minute after being substituted on for 23 seconds, but it was ruled an own goal by Mohamed Hany,^[154] and the two teams shared points at the end of the match. Iran and New Zealand traded goals throughout the match, with Iran coming from behind twice through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi while Elijah Just scored a brace for the latter.^[155]

Belgium and Iran both played to a goalless draw. In the 66th minute, Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card on the 67th minute after committing a DOGSO (denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) on Mehdi Taremi.^[156] New Zealand's Finn Surman opened the match against Egypt after 15 minutes, but second-half goals from Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah, and Trézéguet oversaw the team's first World Cup win since debuting back in 1934.^[157] On the other hand, the result handed New Zealand its first defeat since 1982.^[158]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Egypt	2	1	1	0	4	2	+2	4	Knockout stage
2	Iran	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2
3	Belgium	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	2	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	New Zealand	2	0	1	1	3	5	−2	1

---

---

Cape Verde made its World Cup debut against Spain and held the heavy favorite to the first goalless draw of the tournament. Despite dominating possession and shots, Spain was unable to find a breakthrough as Cape Verde's defense and Vozinha's goalkeeping efforts kept the game scoreless,^[159] earning Cape Verde its first-ever World Cup point. Saudi Arabia's Abdulelah Al-Amri scored first against Uruguay, with Mohammed Al-Owais and the Saudi defense holding off Uruguay, but Uruguay regained composure and equalized with Maximiliano Araújo's goal near the end of the match.^[160]

Against Saudi Arabia, Spain scored for the first time in the tournament after Lamine Yamal, in the 10th minute, scored his first World Cup goal, while Mikel Oyarzabal followed up with a brace before the 25th minute. In the 49th minute, Hassan Al-Tambakti accidentally scored an own goal to make it 4–0 to Spain, while Saudi Arabia had its only shot on target with ten minutes to go.^[161] Cape Verde scored its first ever World Cup goal thanks to a free kick from 30 yards out by Kevin Pina. Despite Uruguay reclaiming the lead by efforts from Maximiliano Araújo and Agustín Canobbio before half-time, the Cape Verdeans scored an equalizer in the 61th minute by Hélio Varela. With the final score 2–2, Cape Verde earned their second consecutive point.^[162]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Spain	2	1	1	0	4	0	+4	4	Knockout stage
2	Uruguay	2	0	2	0	3	3	0	2
3	Cape Verde	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Saudi Arabia	2	0	1	1	1	5	−4	1

---

---

France and Senegal started their match scoreless in the first half amid wasted chances from both sides, along with Ismaïla Sarr missing an open chance from six yards out by hitting the ball over the bar. In the second half, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock at the 66th minute after being denied a penalty, while Bradley Barcola scored another in the 82nd minute. Ibrahim Mbaye scored for Senegal in stoppage time, but Mbappé scored a brace immediately after.^[163] Norway faced Iraq, which was playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Erling Haaland scored his first World Cup goal in the 29th minute, but Aymen Hussein scored an equalizer ten minutes later. Nonetheless, Haaland scored the second four minutes later; A goal by Leo Østigård and an own-goal by Hussein sealed Norway's win.^[164]

The France–Iraq game was interrupted before the start of the second half due to thunderstorms for two hours.^[165] With wins on matchday two by France and Norway, each clinched qualification to the knockout round.^[166]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	France (A)	2	2	0	0	6	1	+5	6	Knockout stage
2	Norway (A)	2	2	0	0	7	3	+4	6
3	Senegal	2	0	0	2	3	6	−3	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Iraq	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6	0

---

---

Argentina, the defending champions from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, faced off against Algeria. Lionel Messi scored throughout the match to seal his first ever hat trick at the World Cup, also being the tournament's first. He also leveled with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-leading goalscorer in the history of the tournament with 16 goals.^[167] Austria and the newly debuting Jordan saw Romano Schmid score first after 20 minutes. In the second half, Ali Olwan equalized for Jordan in the 50th minute. Austria continued to struggle until an own-goal by Yazan Al-Arab and a late penalty converted by Marko Arnautović edged out Austria's victory.^[168]

Messi became the all time top scorer with a brace in the second game against Austria, reaching 18 goals.^[169] Jordan conceded its second defeat of the tournament and was eliminated after losing 2-1 to Algeria.^[170]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Argentina (A)	2	2	0	0	5	0	+5	6	Knockout stage
2	Austria	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
3	Algeria	2	1	0	1	2	4	−2	3	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Jordan (E)	2	0	0	2	2	5	−3	0

---

---

The Democratic Republic of the Congo played Portugal in its opener. DR Congo qualified for its first World Cup since its debut in 1974, when the country was known as Zaire.^[171] João Neves scored for Portugal after six minutes, but near the end of the first half, Yoane Wissa scored for the DR Congo, the team's first World Cup goal. After a goalless second half, DR Congo earned its first-ever World Cup point as Portugal failed to take advantage of its chances.^[172] Uzbekistan also debuted in the World Cup against Colombia. Daniel Muñoz, Luis Díaz, and Jaminton Campaz scored for Colombia while Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored his and Uzbekistan's first World Cup goal.^[173]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	Colombia	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	3	Knockout stage
2	DR Congo	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]
3	Portugal	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1[a]	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Uzbekistan	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	0

---

---

England and Croatia made a fast start to the match. Harry Kane opened the scoring for England from the penalty spot, converting at the second attempt after Dominik Livaković was judged to have left his line early. The first half was played at a high tempo, with Martin Baturina and Petar Musa scoring for Croatia, while Kane added his second goal for England, leaving the teams level at 2–2 at halftime. England regained control shortly after the restart, as Jude Bellingham restored the lead two minutes into the second half before Marcus Rashford extended England's advantage.^[174] In contrast, Ghana and Panama both opened the match with a goalless first half. The second half continued to see countless missed chances between the teams until Caleb Yirenkyi finally broke the deadlock in favor of Ghana five minutes into stoppage time.^[175]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	England	1	1	0	0	4	2	+2	3	Knockout stage
2	Ghana	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3
3	Panama	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0	Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4	Croatia	1	0	0	1	2	4	−2	0

---

---

Pos	Grp	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Position will qualify for:
1	F	Sweden	2	1	0	1	6	6	0	3	Knockout stage
2	C	Scotland	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	3
3	J	Algeria	2	1	0	1	2	4	−2	3[a]
4	D	Paraguay	2	1	0	1	2	4	−2	3[a]
5	H	Cape Verde	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2
6	G	Belgium	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	2
7	K	Portugal	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
8	A	Czech Republic	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	1
9	E	Ecuador	2	0	1	1	0	1	−1	1
10	B	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	0	1	1	2	5	−3	1
11	L	Panama	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0
12	I	Senegal	2	0	0	2	3	6	−3	0

The specific matchups involving the third-placed teams depend on which eight third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32. The 495 possible combinations were published in Annex C of the tournament regulations.^[123]

For the list of all 495 possible combinations, see 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage § Combinations of matches in the round of 32.

The knockout stage will be played in a single-elimination format, starting with the newly-introduced round of 32 on June 28 and culminating with the final on July 19. On the day prior, a match for third place will also be played. In the knockout stage, if the scores are level when normal playing time expires, 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If still tied at the end of extra time, a penalty shootout will be used to determine the winner.^[123]

Round of 32

Round of 16

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

June 29 – Foxborough

Germany

July 4 – Philadelphia

3rd Group A/B/C/D/F

Winner Match 74

June 30 – East Rutherford

Winner Match 77

Winner Group I

July 9 – Foxborough

3rd Group C/D/F/G/H

Winner Match 89

June 28 – Inglewood

Winner Match 90

Runner-up Group A

July 4 – Houston

Runner-up Group B

Winner Match 73

June 29 – Guadalupe

Winner Match 75

Winner Group F

July 14 – Arlington

Runner-up Group C

Winner Match 97

July 2 – Toronto

Winner Match 98

Runner-up Group K

July 6 – Arlington

Runner-up Group L

Winner Match 83

July 2 – Inglewood

Winner Match 84

Winner Group H

July 10 – Inglewood

Runner-up Group J

Winner Match 93

July 1 – Santa Clara

Winner Match 94

United States

July 6 – Seattle

3rd Group B/E/F/I/J

Winner Match 81

July 1 – Seattle

Winner Match 82

Winner Group G

July 19 – East Rutherford

3rd Group A/E/H/I/J

Winner Match 101

June 29 – Houston

Winner Match 102

Winner Group C

July 5 – East Rutherford

Runner-up Group F

Winner Match 76

June 30 – Arlington

Winner Match 78

Runner-up Group E

July 11 – Miami Gardens

Runner-up Group I

Winner Match 91

June 30 – Mexico City

Winner Match 92

Mexico

July 5 – Mexico City

3rd Group C/E/F/H/I

Winner Match 79

July 1 – Atlanta

Winner Match 80

Winner Group L

July 15 – Atlanta

3rd Group E/H/I/J/K

Winner Match 99

July 3 – Miami Gardens

Winner Match 100

Match for third place

Argentina

July 7 – Atlanta

July 18 – Miami Gardens

Runner-up Group H

Winner Match 86

Loser Match 101

July 3 – Arlington

Winner Match 88

Loser Match 102

Runner-up Group D

July 11 – Kansas City

Runner-up Group G

Winner Match 95

July 2 – Vancouver

Winner Match 96

Winner Group B

July 7 – Vancouver

3rd Group E/F/G/I/J

Winner Match 85

July 3 – Kansas City

Winner Match 87

Winner Group K

3rd Group D/E/I/J/L

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

There have been 134 goals scored in 44 matches, for an average of 3.05 goals per match (as of June 22, 2026).

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

A player or team official is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offenses:^[123]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offenses).
• Receiving two yellow cards in the tournament;^[T] yellow cards expire after the completion of the group stage and again after the quarterfinals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches).^[176]

During qualification, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for violent conduct in Portugal's penultimate match against the Republic of Ireland, with such an offense typically resulting in a ban of at least two matches. Ronaldo was handed a three-match ban, though the final two matches of the ban were suspended for a one-year probationary period, making him eligible to appear in Portugal's opening World Cup match.^[177] On May 8, 2026, the Bureau of the FIFA Council amended the tournament regulations so that pending one- or two-match suspensions resulting from red cards for two yellow cards, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, or serious foul play during qualification would no longer be carried forward to the final competition.^[178] This exempted Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi, Ecuador's Moisés Caicedo, and Qatar's Tarek Salman from serving their qualifying-round suspensions during the tournament, with the bans to instead be served in a subsequent competition.^[179]

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Tournament suspensions for players and team officials

Player	Offense(s)	Suspension(s)
Sphephelo Sithole	in Group A vs Mexico (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs Czech Republic (matchday 2; June 18)
Themba Zwane	in Group A vs Mexico (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs Czech Republic (matchday 2; June 18) Group A vs South Korea (matchday 3; June 24)[U]
César Montes	in Group A vs South Africa (matchday 1; June 11)	Group A vs South Korea (matchday 2; June 18)
Teboho Mokoena	in Group A vs Mexico (matchday 1; June 11) in Group A vs Czech Republic (matchday 2; June 18)	Group A vs South Korea (matchday 3; June 24)
Tarik Muharemović	in Group B vs Switzerland (matchday 2; June 18)	Group B vs Qatar (matchday 3; June 24)
Homam Ahmed	in Group B vs Canada (matchday 2; June 18)	Group B vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (matchday 3; June 24)
Assim Madibo	in Group B vs Canada (matchday 2; June 18)	Group B vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (matchday 3; June 24)
Miguel Almirón	in Group D vs Turkey (matchday 2; June 19)	Group D vs Australia (matchday 3; June 25)
Nathan Ngoy	in Group G vs Iran (matchday 2; June 21)	Group G vs New Zealand (matchday 3; June 26)
Sidny Lopes Cabral	in Group H vs Spain (matchday 1; June 15) in Group H vs Uruguay (matchday 2; June 21)	Group H vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; June 26)

In April 2026, FIFA confirmed the prizes for all participating nations. This edition's total distribution for the tournament will be $871 million, $431 million higher than the prize pool of the previous tournament. In addition to the performance-based prize money, each qualified team will also receive a $10 million qualification payment and a $2.5 million preparation fee before the competition.^[181][182]

Performance-based prize money based on final position

Place	Teams	Amount (in millions)
		Per team	Total
Champions	1	$50	$50
Runners-up	1	$33	$33
Third place	1	$29	$29
Fourth place	1	$27	$27
5th–8th place (quarter-finals)	4	$19	$76
9th–16th place (round of 16)	8	$15	$120
17th–32nd place (round of 32)	16	$11	$176
33rd–48th place (group stage)	16	$9	$144
Total	48	$655

The following awards are to be presented at the end of the tournament.

• Golden Boot: Awarded to the tournament's top goal scorer.
• Golden Glove: Awarded to the tournament's best goalkeeper.
• Golden Ball: Awarded to the best overall player of the tournament.
• FIFA Young Player Award: Awarded to the best overall player of the tournament under the age of 21.
• FIFA Fair Play Trophy: Awarded to the team with the best disciplinary record that reached the knockout stage.

Additionally, a "superior player of the match" is presented after each fixture to the player deemed to have delivered the most outstanding performance and greatest impact in that match. The recipient is selected through a public online vote conducted by FIFA. The award is sponsored by Michelob Ultra.^[183]

The official emblem and brand identity was unveiled on May 17, 2023, at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California; its basic form consists of a stacked "26" with an image of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in front of it, designed to be adaptable to different backdrops. This is the first time that the trophy has been depicted in a World Cup emblem as a photo, as opposed to a stylized representation.^[184][185] The next day, FIFA unveiled variants of the emblem for each of the host cities, which feature color variants and designs that reflect local landscapes or culture. For example, the Los Angeles features a stylized sun and wave, Monterrey features the Cerro de la Silla mountain, and Toronto features the city skyline and the CN Tower.^[186][187]

Reaction to the logo from the initial unveiling was largely negative, with many feeling that the design was either unfinished or uncreative compared to the emblems of past FIFA World Cup tournaments. By contrast, United States national team player Jesús Ferreira described the emblem as "beautiful".^{[185][188][189]}

In March and April 2025, FIFA unveiled a set of 16 posters representing each of the 2026 World Cup host cities. The posters, designed by local artists, were intended to reflect the "distinct identity and heritage" of each host city.^[190][191] On March 3, 2026, the official poster was unveiled. For the first time, three artists combined their artistic styles to create the official poster: Carson Ting (Canada), Minerva GM (Mexico), and Hank Willis Thomas (United States).^[192]

On February 12, 2015, FIFA renewed the United States and Canadian broadcasting rights contracts for Fox Sports (US English), Telemundo Deportes (US Spanish), and Bell Media (Canada) to cover the 2026 World Cup, without accepting any other bids. A report in The New York Times asserted that this extension was intended as compensation for the rescheduling of the 2022 World Cup to November–December rather than its traditional June–July scheduling, as it created considerable conflicts with major professional sports leagues that are normally in their offseasons during the World Cup.^{[193][194][195]}

The International Broadcast Center (IBC) will be located at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.^{[196][197][198]} Bell Media constructed a broadcast studio at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver for the tournament (mirroring an arrangement used by Fox during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup), which will operate through the final match played in Vancouver on July 7.^[199]

On January 8, 2026, FIFA signed a deal to make TikTok a "preferred platform" for World Cup video content. As part of the agreement, broadcasters may stream parts of matches at a dedicated hub on the TikTok app.^[200] FIFA then made a similar "preferred platform" deal with YouTube on March 17, allowing broadcasters to stream select matches in full on their respective YouTube channels, as well as stream the first 10 minutes of every match on the platform as "an appetizer encouraging young fans then to watch on traditional channels".^[201]

A number of internet content creators have also been involved in coverage of the tournament; in Brazil, Casimiro Miguel's CazéTV renewed its digital rights to the World Cup in Brazil, streaming all matches on its YouTube channel.^[202][203] IShowSpeed has conducted streams from matches during the tournament, and later reached an agreement with Fox Sports to offer altcasts of selected matches on Fox One and its YouTube channel featuring his streams combined with the Fox telecasts.^{[204][205][206][205]}

FIFA partners	FIFA World Cup sponsors	FIFA World Cup supporters
Adidas[207] ADI Predictstreet[208] Aramco[209] Coca-Cola[210] Hyundai–Kia[211] Lenovo[212] Qatar Airways[213] Visa[214]	AB InBev (Budweiser and Others)[215] American Airlines[216] Bank of America[217] Frito-Lay (Lay's)[218] Hisense[219] McDonald's[220] Mengniu Dairy[221] Unilever (Dove and Others)[222] Google Gemini Verizon[223]	DoorDash[224] Marriott Bonvoy[225] Rock-it Cargo[226] Valvoline[227]

North American supporters	South American supporters	European supporters	Asian supporters
Airbnb[228] Diageo[229] ExpressVPN[230] Globant[231] Home Depot[232] Kraken[233] Public Investment Fund[234] Salesforce[235]	Betano[236] Diageo[229] Inter Rapidísimo[237] Mercado Libre/Mercado Livre[238]	Betano[236] Globant[231] ExpressVPN[230] Kraken[233] Salesforce[235]	Public Investment Fund[234]

On May 7, 2026, Adidas released Backyard Legends: the Greatest Football Story Ever Told, a 5-minute short film.^[239][240] On June 4, 2026, Nike released Rip The Script, a 6-minute short film.^[241][242]

FIFA will stage fan festivals in cities across the host nations, featuring matches on giant screens and live entertainment.^[243] Among the confirmed fan fest locations are Liberty State Park in Jersey City,^[243] Fairmount Park in Philadelphia,^[244] Fort York and The Bentway in Toronto,^[245] Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta,^[246] and East Downtown Houston.^[247]

Ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup initially ranged from $60 for group stage matches to $6,730 for the final—largely increased from the USD equivalent of $69 to $1,607 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, in September 2025, FIFA confirmed it would use dynamic pricing for tickets for the first time, following the practice used in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.^[248] Hospitality seats were made available in April 2025 via FIFA's ticket partner for the event.^[249]

An initial draw period for non-hospitality seats occurred between September 10–19, 2025, limited to Visa cardholders. A second phase ran from October 27–31, and a third phase started after the final draw of teams on December 5. Sales are capped at four tickets per person per match, and no person is able to purchase more than 40 tickets for the overall tournament. FIFA's official resale platform went live on October 2, 2025.^[248][250]

A final "last-minute" sales phase reopened on April 22, 2026, approximately 50 days before the start of the tournament, with tickets for all 104 matches made available on a first-come, first-served basis. By that stage, more than five million tickets had been sold out of an expected total exceeding six million, with additional tickets scheduled to be released in phases up to the final, subject to availability.^[251]

Every city hosting the World Cup in the United States has passed a law stating that ticket sales to World Cup events are exempt from state and local sales taxes.^{[252][253][254]}

On October 2, 2025, FIFA announced the video game FIFA Heroes, scheduled for release in 2026 on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.^[255]

In May 2026, the Football Manager 26 video game also announced the addition of licensed 2026 FIFA World Cup content.^[256]

In December 2025, Netflix announced a new simulation-type game featuring the World Cup, produced by Delphi Interactive and Refactor Games.^[257][258] In May 2026, it was announced the Netflix-published game would be titled "FIFA World Cup – Launch Edition" and would be released in June 2026.^[259]

In the same May 2026 announcement, FIFA also confirmed that they would adopt a non-exclusive "Digital Football" ecosystem, with games of various genres adopting the FIFA license. Alongside the new World Cup game, were mentioned FIFA Heroes, FIFA Rivals, FIFA Super Soccer, Football Manager, eFootball and Rocket League, with more games joining the ecosystem in the following months.^[259][260]

Panini sticker albums were again announced for the 2026 World Cup. Due to the expansion of the tournament, each pack now contains seven stickers as opposed to the usual 5. In the United States and Canada, a set of 12 stickers was reserved for stickers that could only be obtained from Coca-Cola bottles, with each bottle containing a sticker printed inside the label.^[261] In May 2026, it was announced that the 2026 World Cup would be Panini's second-to-last tournament with a sticker album, after FIFA announced that Fanatics (via their Topps brand) would distribute collectables for FIFA tournaments from 2031.^[262]

In conjunction with the tournament, the Lego Group released a series of officially licensed FIFA World Cup 2026-themed construction sets. The collection included models of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, the official tournament emblem, a brick-built Adidas Trionda soccer ball containing a miniature stadium, and player-focused sets based on soccer players Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinícius Júnior. Several sets featured hidden references to the players' careers, alternative display poses, and commemorative World Cup-themed designs.^[263][264] To promote the product line, Lego organized FIFA World Cup 2026-themed activations in several markets, including a soccer festival and pop-up experience in Singapore. The events featured interactive soccer challenges, soccer-themed Lego builds, displays of player-inspired models, and promotional giveaways tied to the World Cup collection.^[265][266]

The official mascots of the tournament were revealed on September 25, 2025, and are Maple, Zayu and Clutch. Maple is a moose, Zayu is a jaguar, and Clutch is a bald eagle, representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively.^[267] They were designed to reflect the cultural heritage of their respective countries.^[268]

On May 2, 2025, reports surfaced that the match ball would be called Adidas Trionda. The design features red, green, and blue (the three colors representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively, and also featured on the host countries' flags), as well as a white wave connecting each of the colors, hence the name using the Spanish words for three (tri) and wave (onda).^[269] The design also features the national symbols of the three host countries (a maple leaf for Canada, a golden eagle for Mexico, and a five-pointed star for the United States) as well as gold embellishments to represent the World Cup Trophy.^[270]

On June 11, 2025, and in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, NASA conducted experiments aboard the International Space Station using soccer balls to study how mass distribution and embedded sensor technology affect ball motion and stability in microgravity. According to NASA, the research contributed to the development and evaluation of technologies used in the 2026 FIFA World Cup official match ball.^[271]

The tournament's official instrumental theme music was composed by Zachary Aaron Golden. Throughout March 2025, FIFA released remixes of the theme for each host city by local producers.^[272]

The official song "Dai Dai" by Colombian singer Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on May 15, 2026,^[273] followed by the official anthem "DNA (More Than a Game)" by French producer David Guetta, featuring Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, South Korean-American singer Ejae, and American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, on June 10, 2026.^[274]

The official soundtrack album was released on June 5, 2026, with its first single "Lighter" by Jelly Roll and Carín León having been released on March 20, 2026; the song had garnered a mixed reception from listeners and critics, with some having falsely assumed that it was meant to be the tournament's official song before "Dai Dai" was released.^{[275][276][277]}

Instrumental song "Sirius" by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project was used for the theme song for the entrances of the national teams before each game during the first matchday of the group stage.^[278] This was changed to a remix of "Dai Dai" done by English electronic group Clean Bandit for the second matchday.

Criticism of the tournament also included United States immigration and visa policies under the Trump administration, the participation of Iran amid an ongoing war waged by the United States and Israel, FIFA's ticket pricing, labor, safety and transit issues in host cities. Escalating drug cartel violence in Mexico has also fueled speculative security concerns for the tournament, prompting the Mexican government to announce the deployment of nearly 100,000 security personnel to protect fans.^[279][280] The Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA), including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International. Characterized the tournament as a form of sportswashing.^[281]

FIFA's used dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets for the first time.^[248] NJ Transit raised round-trip rail fares to MetLife Stadium from $13 to $150 (later reduced to $98) and officials closed pedestrian routes to the stadium.^[282][283] New Jersey's final host Governor Mikie Sherrill blamed FIFA for the higher transportation costs and that they should subsidize it,^[284] as did Chuck Schumer. New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote: "The World Cup should be as affordable and accessible as possible. Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me." FIFA responded in shock while saying: "The original FIFA World Cup 2026 ⁠Host City Agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches."^[285] On the other hand, Los Angeles issued notice of affordable transportation costs and regular transit to and from the SoFi Stadium, along with region transit.^[286] Los Angeles is also due to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. While the opening match was played in a full stadium, the second match showed thousands of empty seats, again raising concerns about high ticket prices. In an official statement regarding the empty seats, FIFA said this was due to "several ticketed fans standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats".^[287][288]

A 2025 travel ban and its December expansion barred ordinary citizens of Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast, and Senegal from obtaining visas to attend matches, though players, team staff, and their immediate relatives were exempted.^[289] A visa bond policy requiring deposits of up to $15,000 from fans of five African qualified nations was suspended in May 2026 for ticket holders.^[290] Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the United States in June 2026 despite holding a valid visa, and FIFA removed him from its roster.^[291] Homeland Security officials also said that customs processing could be halted at airports in sanctuary host cities and that ICE personnel may be present at matches; workers at SoFi Stadium authorized a strike over pay and immigration enforcement concerns before reaching a settlement days ahead of the venue's first match.^[292][293] Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha's mother was issued a last-minute visa to travel and see her son play in their second game.^[294]

Iran's participation was initially in question due to complications arising from the the 2026 Iran war. The Football Federation of Iran warned that it would boycott the December 2025 draw after its president was denied a U.S. visa, prompting Iranian officials to request that the United States be removed as a host. Iran subsequently negotiated with FIFA and the U.S. government to participate after receiving several concessions, including the relocation of its base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, allocation of U.S. visas for players and "vital staff" and a commitment that the Lion and Sun flag, due to its association with the Iranian opposition, would be banned from stadia. Despite the ban, Lion and Sun flags and memorabilia were displayed by supporters during Iran's opening match of the tournament.^{[295][296][297]} Other requests that were denied included relocating matches from the United States to Mexico, banning pride flags and granting visa clearances for Iranian fans.^{[298][299][300]} Upon the team's arrival at its training base in Tijuana, players wore lapel pins bearing the number "168" in honor of the victims of Minab school attack.^[301] Critics have argued that the political circumstances surrounding the tournament undermined FIFA's "Football Unites the World" message.^[302][303] Iran further criticized the discrimination they face in travel arranged to and forth from the base camp in Mexico to California and Washington in an appeal to FIFA.^[304]

Iran and Egypt urged FIFA to prevent LGBTQ-related activities linked to the Seattle match, which had been designated a "Pride Match" by local organizers.^[305] In addition, the Spanish group CitizenGO gathered nearly 123,000 signature on a petition urging FIFA to withdraw the designation, under the pretext of grievances against soccer bodies punishing Christian messaging.^[306]

• FIFA World Cup hosts
• 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
• 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup

• Official website at FIFA.com
• FIFA WC26
• Official Canada website
• Official Mexico website
• Official United States website