The world cup 2026 schedule is set, with the tournament to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Sixteen cities in the three host countries will stage matches in the 23rd edition of FIFA's flagship event.
The scale of the tournament is bigger than any previous World Cup. A total of 48 teams will compete, split into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams moving on to the knockout rounds.
That structure gives the competition a longer opening phase and more teams a path into the later stages. It also means more matches in more places, with fans across North America getting a month-long tournament spread over three countries and 16 cities.
Argentina will arrive as the defending champions after beating France in the 2022 World Cup final to win a third title. That result still frames the road to 2026, because every contender now begins with the same question: who can stop the reigning champions from turning a new format into another trophy run?
