World Cup 2026: All to know six months before FIFA tournament starts

 
The 23rd FIFA World Cup draws ever closer with organisers promising the largest global showcase of football ever. With just six months until kickoff, many tournament milestones have already been reached: Forty-two of the 48-team teams have qualified, the competition draw is completed, two-million-plus tickets have been sold and the 16 cities - 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada - have now been confirmed and are making final preparations to their stadiums and surrounding infrastructure.

Now, Al Jazeera Sport lays out all to know in advance of the 2026 edition of the world's marquee football tournament.

When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will begin in Mexico City on June 11.

Due to the expansion of the tournament - from 32 teams to 48 - the 39-day event is the longest in its history.

Where will the FIFA World Cup 2026 final be held?

The US will stage the final, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

How will the FIFA World Cup 2026 game staging be split between the hosts?

The US will stage games in 11 places: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York (joint host region), Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Canada will host 13 games in total, split between Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will also get 13 games, which will be played in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Which stadiums have still to be built?

All the stadiums for the World Cup are already in place, although two are having upgrades for the tournament.

The Boston Stadium, with a 63,815-capacity, is home to the NFL's New England Patriots and the MLS's New England Revolution, and is undergoing a $225m refurbishment.

Toronto Stadium in Canada is also having an upgrade, but on a much more modest level. The home to MLS side Toronto FC and the CFL's Toronto Argonauts holds 44,315 spectators, and that is being expanded to more than 45,000 as part of its redevelopment.

Who are the defending FIFA World Cup champions?

Argentina won the last edition of the FIFA World Cup, beating France in the final of Qatar 2022.

With the game level at 3-3 after extra time, Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2.

Which teams are the favourites to win World Cup 2026?

Euro 2024 winners Spain are ranked first by FIFA before the tournament. Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions from Qatar 2022, are also considered a frontrunner for the title.

The FIFA World Cup 2018 winners - and 2022 runners-up - France, led by star striker Kylian Mbappe, are also a top contender for the crown.
Brazil, Portugal, England, Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, Croatia, Morocco and Mexico are in the second tier of strong contenders, based on their FIFA rankings from four to 15.

Highly talented nations, who also have a puncher's chance of winning it all, if everything went their way, include Norway, Uruguay and Egypt.

Will Messi and Ronaldo play at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Yes. Messi will lineup with Argentina in defence of their crown, while Ronaldo will play for UEFA Nations League champions, Portugal. At 38 and 40 years of age, respectively, it is widely expected that this will be the last World Cup that the iconic pair play at.

When will we know all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Forty-two of the 48 teams have already qualified, with a series of options still available for the final six teams.
FIFA's intercontinental playoffs will be the absolute last chance saloon for nations to reach next year's event. The finale of that route will be on March 31, 2026, less than three months before the World Cup kicks off.

The European qualification process runs until March, but most of the remaining confederations will have finished their continental qualification processes long before then.

What are the FIFA intercontinental playoffs?

Once the respective confederations finish their qualification process, FIFA offers two final spots to be contested by the best-placed team from each of the six continental routes that have not already qualified.
What will the format be for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

With the expansion to 48 teams, the World Cup will now feature 12 four-team groups. That will lead to a round of 32, an extra knockout round compared with previous editions.

Indeed, the tournament has doubled in size since it was staged in the US in 1994, when only 24 teams competed.
What were the World Cup 2026 groups drawn on December 5?

The groups are mostly completed following the draw, but for the six final slots, although the potential teams that can fill those places are now also known:

Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, plus one of Denmark, Macedonia, Czech Republic or Ireland
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, plus one of Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, plus one of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, plus one of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, plus one of Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, plus one of DRC, Jamaica or New Caledonia
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Can Trump move games at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Trump has been quite clear and consistent on the staging of games within the US, saying he will move the games from any cities that he deems to be unsafe.

On September 26, when Trump was asked about games being moved, he warned, "Well, that's an interesting question … but we're going to make sure they're safe. [Seattle and San Francisco are] run by radical left lunatics who don't know what they're doing."