The 2026 FIFA World Cup[A] will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.[2] It will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities—eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations, and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from 32.
Format and expansion
The idea of expanding the tournament had been suggested as early as 2013 by then UEFA president Michel Platini,[3][4] and also in 2016 by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.[5] Opponents of the proposal argued that the number of matches played was already at an unacceptable level,[6] 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.
Venues
United 2026, also known as the North American 2026 bid, was a successful joint bid led by the United States Soccer Federation, together with the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Federation, to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.
Opening ceremonies
The tournament is set to feature three opening ceremonies, one for each of the hosts. The opening ceremony in Mexico will take place on June 11, 2026, at Estadio Banorte and feature Mexican rock band Maná, Mexican singers Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, and Lila Downs, Mexican cumbia band Los Ángeles Azules, South African singer Tyla, Colombian singer J Balvin, and Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean. The opening ceremony in Canada will take place on June 12, 2026, at BMO Field in Toronto and feature performances by Canadian singers Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, and William Prince, Palestinian singer Elyanna, Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy, and French singer Vegedream. On the same day, the opening ceremony for the United States will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and feature performances by American singer Katy Perry, American rapper Future, Thai rapper and Blackpink member Lisa, Brazilian singer Anitta, Nigerian singer Rema, and South African singer Tyla.[133][134][135]
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.
Group stage
The group stage will be played from June 11 to 27.[146] Competing countries were divided into twelve groups of four teams (groups A to L), with teams in each group playing one another in a round-robin. In the group standings, three points are awarded 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 across all groups, will advance to the knockout stage.
| Matchday | Pairings | Groups | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 1 vs 2 3 vs 4 |
A | June 11, 2026 |
| B & D | June 12, 2026 | ||
| B, C & D | June 13, 2026 | ||
| E & F | June 14, 2026 | ||
| G & H | June 15, 2026 | ||
| I & J | June 16, 2026 | ||
| K & L | June 17, 2026 | ||
| Matchday 2 | 1 vs 3 4 vs 2 |
A & B | June 18, 2026 |
| C & D | June 19, 2026 | ||
| E & F | June 20, 2026 | ||
| G & H | June 21, 2026 | ||
| I & J | June 22, 2026 | ||
| K & L | June 23, 2026 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 4 vs 1 2 vs 3 |
A, B & C | June 24, 2026 |
| D, E & F | June 25, 2026 | ||
| G, H & I | June 26, 2026 | ||
| J, K & L | June 27, 2026 |
Tickets
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.[238] Hospitality seats were made available in April 2025 via FIFA’s ticket partner for the event.