The Cup begins at Azteca.
Mexico open the tournament at Estadio Azteca, 7,382 feet up, the only stadium ever to host three different World Cups. They face South Africa in front of 83,000.
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Argentina, for the fourth.
Three cups already, last won in Qatar 2022. Messi at 38 plays his sixth and almost certainly final World Cup, with Lionel Scaloni still in the dugout.
Inside the squad →Three nations, sixteen cities.
The goodbye tour.
Four icons of a generation, almost certainly playing their last World Cup. The names that defined two decades of the game.
96°F. Dallas. Retractable roof.
Mid-afternoon kickoffs in Texas push 96°F, the cup's heat ceiling. AT&T's retractable roof will close more than once. Four stadiums in the U.S. have retractable roofs for exactly this reason.
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Iran commutes from Tijuana.
After the 2026 Iran war, Washington declined to host the squad. Iran trains in Tijuana and crosses the border for matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. Their captain Mehdi Taremi's U.S. visa is not certain.
Inside the squad →Three mascots, one cup.
Maple is Canada's moose, a goalkeeper in red, drawn from the maple leaf, standing for creativity and resilience. Zayu is Mexico's jaguar, a forward in green, rooted in the animal's place in ancient Mesoamerica, standing for strength and cultural pride. Clutch is the United States' bald eagle, a midfielder in navy, standing for courage and the instinct to deliver under pressure. Unveiled Sept 25, 2025.
Four debutants.
Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan reach their first ever World Cup. Curaçao becomes the smallest nation, by population, to ever qualify.
12 groups. 48 teams. One new round.
Twelve groups of four. The top two of each plus the eight best third-placed teams reach a brand-new Round of 32, then the standard knockout bracket through to the final.
The cup expanded from 32 teams in 2022 to 48 in 2026. From 64 matches to 104.
All 104 matches →
The Cup ends at MetLife.
The 2026 final takes place at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. 82,500 seats. The winning nation lifts the trophy in front of the New York skyline.
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