A Guide To The FIFA World Cup, For Beginners And Aficionados

For many Americans, the 2026 FIFA World Cup might be difficult to avoid during a 38-day period.

It kicks off when Mexico hosts South Africa in Mexico City on June 11 and concludes with the finals in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 19.

With that in mind, here is a guide for beginners and aficionados to what many claim to be “The Greatest Show on earth.”

Not one, not two, but three hosts

For the first time ever, three countries will host the World Cup – Mexico, Canada and the U.S. – in 16 venues. Eleven U.S. cities will welcome the world. They include Atlanta, Miami, Inglewood, Calif., San Francisco, Seattle, Arlington, Texas, Houston, Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia and East Rutherford, N.J.

Three Mexican cities will host – Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey – as will two in Canada – Toronto and Vancouver.

Mexico also will become the first country to host or co-host the cup three times, having also done so in 1970 and 1986.

The U.S., Mexican and Canadian national teams will play all of their group stage matches in their own country.

This is the second World Cup to have multiple hosts. Korea and Japan shared the hosting duties in 2002.

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Teeming with teams

A record 48 teams will compete in the World Cup, 16 more than the previous tournament in Qatar, which had 32 countries performing in 2022.

While the 16 added squads will give countries such as Curacao and the Cape Verde Island an opportunity to play at the highest stage, it also could open the door for some lopsided affairs in the group stage.

Games aplenty

With 48 teams, comes more games and another around added. In other words, teams vying to win the World Cup will need to survive eight rounds, instead of the traditional seven.

Teams that have excellent depth and the fortunate ones that can avoid injuries, especially to their stars and superstars, could be in position to win it all.

How it works

The 48 teams have been drawn into 12 groups of four squads apiece. The first- and second-place sides in each group will advance to the knockout round, including the eight best third-place teams.

The knockout rounds begin with the Round of 32, continue with the Round of 16, then the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.

If you want to watch

There are plenty of ways to watch the World Cup, whether it is on your television, computer or phone.

For the English-speaking public, FOX Sports will show all 104 matches on their various platforms.

A record 70 matches will be televised on FOX, including all U.S. Men’s National Team games. FOX Sports will air all 104 tournament matches airing live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within FOX One’s new viewing experience and the FOX Sports App.

For the full schedule, visit FOX Sports.

For the Spanish-language audience, Telemundo will televise 92 airing free over-the-air on its network and 12 on Universo. Every match will stream live on Peacock (Premium and Premium Plus subscribers) and the Telemundo App.

For Telemundo’s full schedule, visit Telemundo.

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Who are the favorites?

Well, that could depend on whom you talk to. So many pundits have their own favorites.

Many have liked France, which won the world championship in 2018 and lost in the 2022 final on penalty kicks to Argentina and Lionel Messi. Argentina has to be considered, along with Brazil, two long-time global powers. Spain, which boasts 18-year-old star Lamine Yamal, who will turn 19 on July 13.

England and Germany have been mentioned as teams that could go deep in the tourney, or even win it. Portugal, which has never won a World Cup, is considered a contender as well.

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What about the U.S.?

The U.S. Men’s National Team isn’t considered a favorite. A quarterfinal appearance would be considered a decent finish.

Forward Christian Pulisic, who recently snapped a five-month scoreless streak for club and country, is expected to lead the attack. Other key players include forward Folarin Balogun, midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams and defenders Sergino Dest, and Chris Richards, who is recovering from an ankle injury.

The team’s Achilles Heel is the defense, which has turned the ball over during inopportune times in friendlies and World Cup warm-up matches. If the team continues on that path, it won’t reach its full potential.

Only two host national teams have failed to reach the knockout round – South Africa (2010) and Qatar (2022).

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The elite eight

Only eight countries – that’s right, only eight – have won the coveted World Cup since the competition was introduced in 1930. This is the 23rd World Cup.

Brazil leads the way with five championships, followed by Germany and Italy (which did not qualify this time) with four apiece. Next comes Argentina with three, France and Uruguay with two each, and England and Spain with one apiece.

Sparked by the incomparable Pele, the Brazilians won three out of World Cups from 1958 to 1970.

While the World Cup is 96 years old, it has not been held in succession since 1930. It was interrupted for 12 years due to World War II. The 1938 tournament was the last one until Brazil hosted it in 1950.

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Home hemisphere advantage

Only two South American teams have won a World Cup in the Eastern Hemisphere – Brazil and the great Pele in Sweden in 1956, and Argentina and the fabulous Lionel Messi in Qatar in 2022.

Only one European team has won a World Cup in the Western Hemisphere in 2014.

About those stadium names

Because FIFA has taken control of the 16 stadiums, those venues won’t have their traditional names during the competition, which might confuse viewers thinking that a new stadium was built for the games.

Here is a breakdown of the stadium names:

U.S.

Atlanta – Atlanta Stadium, instead of Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Boston – Boston Stadium, instead of Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Dallas – Dallas Stadium, instead of AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

East Rutherford, N.J. – New York New Jersey World Cup Stadium, instead of MetLife Stadium (interestingly, the stadium is located in New Jersey, but New York has been placed ahead of New Jersey, angering many citizens of the Garden State)

Houston – Houston Stadium, instead of NRG Stadium

Miami – Miami Stadium, instead of Hard Rock Stadium

Inglewood, Calif. – Los Angeles Stadium, instead of SoFi Stadium

Kansas City, Mo. – Kansas City Stadium, instead of Arrowhead Stadium

Philadelphia – Philadelphia Stadium, instead of Lincoln Financial Field

San Francisco – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, instead of Levi’s Stadium (Santa, Clara)

Seattle – Seattle Stadium, instead of Lumen Field

Mexico

Mexico City – Mexico City Stadium instead of Estadio Azteca

Guadalajara – Guadalajara Stadium, instead of Estadio Akron

Monterrey – Monterrey Stadium, instead of Estadio BBVA

Canada

Toronto – Toronto Stadium, instead of BMO Field

Vancouver – Vancouver Stadium, instead of BC Place

Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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