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In celebration of the milestone, the 16 Host Cities will unveil countdown clocks, featuring the city’s locally inspired Official Host City Brand.

-The tournament will kick off on Thursday, 11 June 2026 in Mexico City. With 48 teams, the FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest and most inclusive edition to date

Taking place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, next year’s event marks the first FIFA World Cup™ to be hosted across three countries

On 11 June 2026, the world will come together in North America for the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup 26™. Taking place across three countries and 16 vibrant Host Cities with a newly expanded pool of 48 teams, the tournament will be the largest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup™ in history.

The 2026 edition is expected to welcome 6.5 million fans to stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States – truly uniting the continent and globe through football.

“One year from now, the greatest football show on the planet will definitely captivate the world like never before,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “This is more than a tournament, it’s a global celebration of connection, unity and passion.

From every corner of the world, dreams are turning into reality as teams qualify and fans make their plans to be part of history, counting down to the biggest FIFA World Cup yet.”

The milestone comes as the United States prepares to host the new FIFA Club World Cup™, which kicks off this coming Saturday in Miami, Florida. The tournament will feature 32 of the best teams in club football from around the globe vying to be crowned FIFA’s true club world champion.

In celebration of One Year to Go, all 16 Host Cities will unveil countdown clocks, featuring the city’s locally inspired Official Host City Brand. The clocks have been installed in central and iconic locations across Host Cities and will count down to the stroke of midnight on 11 June 2026, when the world’s greatest sporting event kicks off in North America.

Local community events, celebrations with stakeholders and more will be held around North America, drawing members of the region into the grandest celebration of the tournament yet. Each Host City will also reveal a video that features a local celebrity or personality, highlighting what makes their city unique and inspiring.

“The splendour, culture and unique flavour of each of our 16 Host Cities will be on full display as the FIFA World Cup shows the world all that North America has to offer,” said President Infantino. “We look forward to hosting teams and guests from every continent to celebrate the beautiful game on its most majestic stage.”

See the One Year to Go fact sheet for further details as well as facts and figures on the FIFA World Cup 26.

FIFA World Cup 26: Host countries, cities, dates, teams, tickets, qualifying and more

The world's premier international football competition returns in 2026, with a number of firsts as it is co-hosted across three countries and features 48 teams.

The FIFA World Cup Winner's Trophy during the FIFA World Cup 26 Official Brand Launch at the Griffith Observatory on May 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, United States. The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be the first with 48 teams

Hosting of the tournament will be shared between Canada, Mexico and the USA
Final will be played on 19 July, 2026, in New York New Jersey. The FIFA World Cup 26™ is firmly in view for fans of the beautiful game around the globe with a number of firsts as three nations - Canada, Mexico and the USA - will co-host, and a record 48 teams will take part.

After the thrilling drama of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Argentina are aiming to become just the third defending champion in history to retain the trophy. Qualification tournaments among the six global confederations are already under way, with several teams having booked their tickets to the eagerly-anticipated global showpiece.

FIFA World Cup 26 Dates and Schedule
FIFA has prepared a summary of the key information around the next instalment of the tournament. The next World Cup will return to being played in the traditional period, between the months of June and July. The World Cup final date has been set as Sunday, 19 July, with the opening match due to take place on Thursday, 11 June.

The full match schedule was announced on Sunday, 4 February 2024, with New York New Jersey picked to host the final, and Mexico City's fabled Azteca chosen to stage the tournament's opening match.

FIFA World Cup 26 Qualified Teams
Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
AFC: IR Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Japan, Australia
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador
OFC: New Zealand

FIFA World Cup 26 Host Countries and Cities
For the first time in history, the organisation of the biggest football tournament on the planet will be divided among three countries - Canada, Mexico and the USA - with 16 cities in total hosting matches. Find out more on the rich history and tradition of each location by clicking the links below.

Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle.

FIFA World Cup 26 Stadiums
A total of 16 stadiums have been chosen to host the games, the most since Korea/Japan 2002, with some truly spectacular venues set to showcase the best in the beautiful game. Follow the links below for more information on each venue, including the matches selected for each ground.

-Canada: Toronto Stadium, BC Place Vancouver
-Mexico: Estadio Azteca Mexico City, Estadio Guadalajara, Estadio Monterrey.
-United States: Atlanta Stadium, Boston Stadium, Dallas Stadium, Houston Stadium, Kansas City Stadium, Los Angeles Stadium.

Others includes; Miami Stadium, New York New Jersey Stadium, Philadelphia Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and Seattle Stadium.

FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifiers
Each continental confederation has the autonomy to define the competition model and the period of their qualifying tournaments. Hosts Canada, Mexico and USA are already confirmed as qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 26.

FIFA World Cup 26 - How Teams Qualify The 2026 World Cup will see the participation of 48 teams, 16 more than the last seven editions of the tournament since 1998. The division of places by continental confederations has already been defined:

-AFC (Asia): Eight direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
-CAF (Africa): Nine direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
-CONCACAF (North and Central America, plus the Caribbean): Six direct spots + two FIFA Play-Off Tournament places
-CONMEBOL (South America): Six direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
-OFC (Oceania): One direct spot + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
-UEFA (Europe): 16 direct spots

The three host countries will automatically qualify for the tournament, thus occupying three of the Concacaf slots.

FIFA World Cup 26 Format
The FIFA Council unanimously made the decision to approve the proposed amendment to the World Cup 2026 group stage format from 16 groups of three, to 12 groups of four.

The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams from the groups will now progress to the round of 32. Hopefuls will now have to play eight games from group stage through to the final, rather than seven.

FIFA World Cup 26 Tickets
To receive information on how to apply for FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets, you can register your interest here. We will keep you up to date with the latest news and information regarding FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets straight to your mailbox

FIFA World Cup 26 Official Host City Posters
The 2026 tournament will feature a set of Official FIFA World Cup 26™ Host City Posters, showcasing the unique cultural and artistic spirit of the 16 Host Cities while celebrating the unity, diversity, and passion of the world’s most beloved sport. All 16 posters are available to buy now.

Proudlyngwa:
Scripted Event
Kkkk gggg hhhh jjjjj iiiiiii oooooo lkjhgdsaqwerr.

Are U happy now.

Lubbish

richiemcgold:
Like play, like play, Nigeria is edging out again. Only a miracle will make Nigeria be at the world cup

Racoon:
Mexico 86, Italian 90, USA 94 and France 98 are the most memorable for me. The 7 - 2 Semi-final defeat Germany handed to Brazil in the 2014 world cup will never be forgotten in history. Meanwhile, good luck to all the teams.

oluwaseyi0:
Hope Nigeria will be there
Hope Nigeria will be there

Racoon:
Mexico 86, Italian 90, USA 94 and France 98 are the most memorable for me. The 7 - 2 Semi-final defeat Germany handed to Brazil in the 2014 world cup will never be forgotten in history. Meanwhile, good luck to all the teams.