The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest edition in World Cup history. For the first time, the tournament will be held in three host countries, the USA, Canada and Mexico, and will feature 48 national teams, 16 more than in Qatar 2022.
When and where will the 2026 World Cup be held? The 2026 World Cup will be played from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This will be the 23rd edition of the most prestigious football tournament. The tournament will be organized in 16 cities in North America, spread across the USA, Canada and Mexico. It is the first time in history that a World Cup has been organized by three countries. The last time North America hosted the World Cup was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed over Italy after penalties.
Stadiums and host cities of the 2026 World Cup USA
Arlington, Texas – Dallas Stadium (94 seats) East Rutherford, New Jersey – New York, New Jersey Stadium (82.500) Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Stadium (75) Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City Stadium (73) Houston, Texas – Houston Stadium (72) Santa Clara, California – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (71) Inglewood, California – Los Angeles Stadium (70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Philadelphia Stadium (69) Seattle, Washington – Seattle Stadium (69) Foxborough, Massachusetts – Boston Stadium (65) Miami Gardens, Florida – Miami Stadium (65)
CANADA Toronto Stadium – Toronto (45 thousand) BC Place – Vancouver (54 thousand)
MEXICO Estadio Azteca – Mexico City (83 thousand) Estadio Monterrey – Guadalupe (53.500) Estadio Guadalajara –Zapopan (48 thousand) How much is the prize fund in the 2026 World Cup?
AWARDS FIFA confirmed the prize fund at the FIFA Council meeting in Doha on December 17. The total amount is 50% higher compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Winner: $50 million
Finalist: $33 million
Third place: $29 million
Fourth place: $27 million
Places 5-8: $19 million
Places 9-16: $15 million
Places 17-32: $11 million
Places 33-48: $9 million
Each national team will also receive $1.5 million for preparation costs, meaning each team is guaranteed at least $10.5 million. The new 2026 World Cup format With the expansion to 48 teams, fans will see a full 104 matches – 40 more than in Qatar 2022. The knockout phase will start from the round of 32.
. The classic format of 32 teams and eight groups has been replaced with 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-place teams, will qualify for the round of 32. 2026 World Cup groups and matches (European time GMT+1)
GROUP A 11 June 21:00 – Mexico vs South Africa 12 June 04:00 – South Korea vs Czech Republic 18 June 18:00 – Czech Republic vs South Africa 19 June 03:00 – Mexico vs South Korea 25 June 03:00 – Czech Republic vs Mexico 03:00 – South Africa vs South Korea
GROUP B 12 June 21:00 – Canada vs Bosnia 13 June 21:00 – Qatar vs Switzerland 18 June 21:00 – Switzerland vs Bosnia 00:00 – Canada vs Qatar 24 June 21:00 – Bosnia vs Qatar 21:00 – Switzerland vs Canada
GROUP C 14 June 00:00 – Brazil vs Morocco 03:00 – Haiti vs Scotland 20 June 00:00 – Scotland vs Morocco 02:30 – Brazil vs Haiti 25 June 00:00 – Morocco vs Haiti 00:00 – Scotland vs Brazil
GROUP D 13 June 03:00 – USAvsParaguay 14 June 06:00 – Australia vs Turkey 19 June 21:00 – USA vs Australia 20 June 05:00 – Turkey vs Paraguay 26 June 04:00 – Paraguay vs Australia 04:00 – Turkey vs USA
GROUP E 14 June 19:00 – Germany vs Curaçao 15 June 01:00 – Ivory Coast vs Ecuador 20 June 22:00 – Germany vs Curaçao 21 June 02:00 – Ecuador vs Curaçao 25 June 22:00 – Curaçao vs Ivory Coast 22:00 – Ecuador vs Germany GROUP F 14 June 22:00 – Netherlands vs Japan 15 June 04:00 – Sweden vs Tunisia 20 June 19:00 – Netherlands vs Sweden 21 June 06:00 – Tunisia vs Japan 26 June 01:00 – Japan vs Sweden 01:00 – Tunisia vs Netherlands
GROUP G 15 June 21:00 – Belgium vs Egypt 16 June 03:00 – Iran vs New Zealand 21 June 21:00 – Belgium vs Iran 22 June 03:00 – New Zealand vs Egypt 27 June 05:00 – Egypt vs Iran 05:00 – New Zealand vs Belgium GROUP H 15 June 18:00 – Spain vs Cape Verde 00:00 – Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay 21 June 18:00 – Spain vs Saudi Arabia 00:00 – Uruguay vs Cape Verde 27 June 02:00 – Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia 02:00 – Uruguay vs Spain GROUP I 16 June 21:00 – France vs Senegal 00:00 – Iraq vs Norway 22 June 23:00 – France vs Iraq 23 June 02:00 – Norway vs Senegal 26 June 21:00 – Norway vs France 21:00 – Senegal vs Iraq GROUP J 17 June 03:00 – Argentina vs Algeria 06:00 – Austria vs Jordan 22 June 19:00 – Argentina vs Austria 23 June 05:00 – Jordan vs Algeria 28 June 04:00 – Algeria vs Austria 04:00 – Jordan vs Argentina
GROUP K 17 June 19:00 – Portugal vs DR Congo 18 June 04:00 – Uzbekistan vs Colombia 23 June 19:00 – Portugal vs Uzbekistan 24 June 04:00 – Colombia vs DR Congo 28 June 01:30 – Colombia vs Portugal 01:30 – DR Congo vs Uzbekistan
GROUP L 17 June 22:00 – England vs Croatia 18 June 01:00 – Ghana vs Panama 23 June 22:00 – England vs Ghana 24 June 01:00 – Panama vs Croatia 27 June 23:00 – Croatia vs Ghana 23:00 – Panama vs England Official Ball of the 2026 World Cup – “Trionda” The official ball of the tournament is produced by Adidas and is called “Trionda”, which means “three waves” in Spanish. It features the colors red, green and blue, as a tribute to the three organizing countries: Canada, Mexico and the USA. According to Adidas, the technology integrated into the ball will help VAR with the transmission of data in real time, while artificial intelligence will be used for more accurate decision-making.
2026 World Cup finals schedule
Group stage: 11–27 June
Round of 16: June 28 – July 3
Round of 16: 4–7 July
Quarterfinals: July 9–11
Semi-finals: July 14–15
Third place match: July 18
Final: July 19
The opening match will take place in Mexico City, while the grand final will be played at New York's New Jersey Stadium, the stadium where the NFL teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets, play.
