FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature 48 teams, 104 matches

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, expanding the finals to 48 national teams. The tournament will be staged in 16 host cities and is set to include 104 matches, up from 64 at Qatar 2022. Organisers have scheduled the opening match for June 11 at Mexico City Stadium, with the final set for July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.

The competition will be the first men’s World Cup to use a 48-team finals format, ending the 32-team structure that has been in place since 1998. The three co-hosts — the United States, Canada and Mexico — qualify automatically, while the remaining teams reach the tournament through qualifying across FIFA’s confederations.

Officials have also set kick-off times for key fixtures: the opening match is scheduled for 13:00 local time in Mexico City (19:00 GMT), and the final is due to start at 15:00 local time in New York/New Jersey (19:00 GMT). The final venue is listed with a capacity of 82,500.

New group stage and expanded knockout rounds

The expanded tournament is planned as 12 groups of four teams. The top two in each group will advance to the knockout phase, joined by the eight best third-placed teams. That structure creates a 32-team bracket and introduces a new Round of 32 before the traditional later knockout rounds.

The match inventory rises to 104 games, with 72 matches in the group stage and 32 in the knockout rounds. The larger schedule is one of the headline changes of the 48-team era.

Host split, historic firsts, and prize money

The United States is set to stage 78 matches across 11 stadiums. Mexico and Canada will each host 13 matches, spread across three stadiums in Mexico and two in Canada. The opening game in Mexico City will see hosts Mexico face Group A side South Africa, a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener that ended 1-1 in Johannesburg.

The 2026 edition will be Canada’s first time as a World Cup co-host. Mexico has previously hosted the tournament in 1970 and 1986, while the United States hosted in 1994.

Prize money is also set to rise, with the 2026 champions due to receive a record $50 million, up from $42 million at Qatar 2022.

With the start date set, attention now turns to the final list of qualified teams and the group-stage schedule as the tournament approaches.