What you need to know leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner with the first match kicking off on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico, while the first-ever men’s FIFA World Cup match begins in Canada on June 12, 2026 at BMO Field in Toronto, Ont.
With an expanded format of 48 countries for the first time in World Cup history, the playing field is much larger and there are more opportunities for many countries to showcase their soccer skills on the biggest stage in sports.
Soccer is a sport with many players, teams and storylines to keep track of, so here is everything you need to know before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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Where are the matches taking place?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in 16 stadiums across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Vancouver and Toronto are the two Canadian host cities, where a total of 13 matches will be played on Canadian soil. Seven matches will be held at BC Place in Vancouver and six at BMO Field in Toronto.
Canada’s men’s national team will play their first group stage match in Toronto on June 12, while the other two group stage matches will be played in Vancouver on June 18 and June 24.
In Mexico, matches will be played in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City. The United States will host matches in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A. on July 19, 2026.
Who has qualified so far?
As of writing, 13 of 48 teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Canada, the United States of America and Mexico qualified for the World Cup as co-hosts.
In the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Korea Republic and Japan have all qualified. In CONMEBOL, the governing body of soccer in South America, Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil have qualified. New Zealand are the only representative of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to qualify directly to the World Cup.
33 teams can still qualify directly to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while two countries can qualify via the FIFA Play-Off Tournament if they do not qualify directly.
For direct qualifying spots, there are two left in the AFC, three in CONMEBOL and three in CONCACAF (North, Central America + Caribbean). The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are in the midst of World Cup qualifiers and are allocated nine and 16 spots, respectively.
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Which countries are the favourites?
According to DraftKings, Spain is the current betting favourite to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, followed by France, Brazil, England and Argentina to round out the top five.
Spain is fresh off winning Euro 2024 and has a squad filled with talented players such as current Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. They are led by the young superstar Lamine Yamal who will be 18 years old when the World Cup begins.
France is coming off of back-to-back World Cup final appearances, winning the tournament in Russia in 2018 and losing to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. France also boasts many talented players in all positions and are led by one of the best players in the world, Kylian Mbappé, who will be 27 years old during the next World Cup.
Brazil and England are two countries that are loaded with talent all across the boards, but they have struggled to win an international tournament in recent years. They are still among the favourites and could pull things together for a good run next year.
Argentina is currently the top ranked team in the world and are coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup having won their last three major international tournaments. They boast back-to-back Copa America victories in 2021 and 2024 and are the current World Cup holders, having won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Other nations such as Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands are ones to keep an eye on. They both have very talented squads and teams that have impactful young players ready to make their mark on the biggest stage in soccer.
There are sometimes nations that make unexpected runs deep into the tournament such as Morocco in 2022 and Croatia in 2018, so expect there to be a few surprises here and there as different nations have unanticipated results on the world stage.
Who are the players you should know about?
There are many superstars in soccer at the moment, and many of them will be representing their nations when play kicks off next June.
17-year-old Lamine Yamal was one of the biggest reasons why Spain won Euro 2024, and he will likely star once more for “La Roja” as they chase the second World Cup title in their history. His unpredictable dribbling and precise shooting make him a nightmare for defenders, and he will look to carry his incredible form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kylian Mbappé has quickly become a World Cup superstar with his performances for France. He is currently the joint sixth top-scorer in World Cup history alongside the Brazilian legend Pelé with 12 goals and will look to bring France to a third-consecutive World Cup final and potentially a third World Cup title for “Les Bleus.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be players to watch for as this will likely be the final World Cup for the both of them, as they turn 41 and 39 years old next year, respectively. These two have dominated the “Greatest of All Time” or “GOAT” debate in soccer for the past two decades and will get another chance to dazzle spectators with their magic and solidify their status as soccer legends with another World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup could also be the chance to see the stars of tomorrow shine on the biggest stage in the sport. Many players under the age of 23, such as Désiré Doué, Arda Güler, Jamal Musiala, Joao Neves, Endrick and many others, will have the opportunity of a lifetime to usher in an iconic performance and bring forth the next generation of soccer legends.
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What is the outlook on the Canadian men’s national team?
Canada is coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup with great aspirations to achieve history for the nation.
Canada has never won a match or even earned a point at the World Cup, having lost all their group stage matches in their World Cup debut in 1986 and in their second World Cup campaign in 2022. A favourable group stage draw combined with further progression from our players could set Canada up to not only get their first ever World Cup point, but to potentially qualify for the knockout round of the World Cup.
Since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Canada have played in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final where they lost 2-0 to the U.S., achieved a fourth-placed finish in their Copa América debut in 2024, finished third in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, and disappointingly lost in the quarterfinals of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. While Canada did not win any of these tournaments, they are still promising for an improving Canadian team and carry these positive results into the World Cup.
The Canadian men’s national team has arguably the most talented group of players in their history at the moment. Many Canadians play in Europe for some of the best clubs and leagues in the world, and this team is both young and talented across multiple positions on the pitch.
Some established Canadian players to pay attention to ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are Inter Milan’s Tajon Buchanan, Olympique de Marseille’s Ismaël Koné, newly-signed Juventus striker Jonathan David, and of course, Canada’s captain and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Davies is currently coming back from a torn ACL in his right knee but should be able to recover in time for the World Cup.
Some up-and-coming Canadian players to keep an eye on include Union Saint-Gilloise’s Promise David, RSC Anderlecht’s Nathan Saliba, Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur and Fulham’s Luc de Fougerolles. All of these players are young and could become household names for Canadians as they might play important roles for the national team in the upcoming World Cup.
What are some upcoming important dates to look forward to?
There are many dates to keep track of leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so here are a few that you should mark in your calendar before the tournament kicks off in June.
The final 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying windows will take place between Sept. 1-9, Oct. 6-14 and Nov. 10-18, 2025. These windows will host the majority of World Cup qualifying matches from soccer conferences in Europe, Asia, Africa, North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean nations. The final international qualifying window is from March 23-31, 2026, where the FIFA Play-Off Tournament will likely be taking place for the final two spots at the next World Cup.
Another important event before the upcoming World Cup is the group stage draw. This is when we will find out which four countries will be playing against each other in the 12 groups during the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There is no set date for the group stage draw at this moment, but it will likely be held in Dec. 2025 or early in 2026.
You can also prepare for the next World Cup by following the upcoming club soccer season. The 2025/26 club soccer season begins in mid-to-late August and goes until late May, culminating in the UEFA Champions League Final on May 30.
Following the club season is a great way to familiarize yourself with some of the world’s best soccer players and understand who will potentially shine at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup will take place less than a year from now, so it is the best time to keep up with everything going on in men’s soccer, getting you ready for when the world’s best nations square off to see who will be victorious at the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup.