2026 World Cup FAQ: Format, favorites, TV details and more as North America hosts the soccer tournament

The biggest FIFA World Cup to date, with a record 48 teams set to play a record 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, begins June 11. The three host nations automatically qualified for the tournament. Defending champion Argentina is back, and four nations — Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan — will make their World Cup debuts.

Some basic questions about the tournament:

What is the World Cup?

The tournament is an international soccer competition for men's national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. It has been staged every four years since 1930 (except in 1942 and 1946 because of World War II). The United States, Mexico and Canada are host countries, the U.S. hosting for the first time since 1994.

What is the format of play?

The 48 teams that qualified for the competition are divided into 12 groups of four (Groups A-L). The group stage comprises round-robin play within each group. All teams are guaranteed three matches. The top two teams from each group are guaranteed to advance to the Knockout Stage, as will the eight best third-place teams. Teams finishing fourth in groups are eliminated. The Knockout Stage is single-elimination and begins with the Round of 32, then the Round of 16.

Where and when?

Group stage play begins Thursday, June 11 with Mexico hosting South Africa at Mexico City. The first game in the U.S. is Friday, June 12 when Team USA faces Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Group stage games run through June 27. The U.S. is hosting 78 matches, Mexico and Canada 13 each.

Who is in each World Cup group?

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia

Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye

Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, IR Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Which cities will host World Cup matches?

• New York/New Jersey: MetLife Stadium
• Vancouver, Canada: BC Place
• Toronto, Canada: BMO Field
• Mexico City, Mexico: Estadio Azteca
• Monterrey, Mexico: Estadio BBVA
• Guadalajara, Mexico: Estadio Akron
• Dallas: AT&T Stadium
• Kansas City: Arrowhead Stadium
• Houston: NRG Stadium
• Atlanta: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Los Angeles: SoFi Stadium
• Philadelphia: Lincoln Financial Field
• Seattle: Lumen Field
• San Francisco: Levi’s Stadium
• Boston: Gillette Stadium
• Miami: Hard Rock Stadium

Which World Cup matches are at MetLife Stadium?

GROUP STAGE

Saturday, June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco (6 p.m.)

Tuesday, June 16: France vs. Senegal (3 p.m.)

Monday, June 22: Norway vs. Senegal (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany (4 p.m.)

Saturday, June 27: Panama vs. England (5 p.m.)

KNOCKOUT ROUND

Tuesday, June 30: Round of 32 (5 p.m.)

Sunday, July 5: Round of 16 (4 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, July 19: World Cup Final (3 p.m.)

How do I get to MetLife Stadium?

You can drive but there is no general parking at MetLife. Parking at the nearby American Dream mall — which is connected to MetLife by two pedestrian bridges and is a 0.89-mile, 17-minute walk from the stadium — will be limited to about 5,000 spots and are currently listed for $225 on the official World Cup website.

The most reliable options are the NJ Transit Meadowlands Rail Line (starting around $98 round-trip) or official event shuttle buses (starting around $20). Both require advance booking and a valid match ticket.

Official round-trip shuttle buses operate from designated hubs in NYC (Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown East near Grand Central) and New Jersey (Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Park and Ride in Clifton).

You can also choose to take an Uber or Lyft to the Stadium but there's a bit of a catch. They cannot drop you off at the stadium. You will be dropped off at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, followed by a roughly 1.3-mile direct walking path to the stadium gates.

Who wins a match?

Simply, the team scoring the most goals wins the match and earns two points in group standings. If there is a tie at the end of a group stage match, the result is a draw and the teams each receive one point in group standings. In case of a tie at the end of regulation in the knockout rounds, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. At the end of the 30 minutes, if the match remains tied, the teams go to penalty kicks (each team gets five kicks and best-of-five wins). If that still doesn’t determine the winner, penalty kicks will continue one at a time until the tie is broken.

When is the World Cup Final?

The championship match is on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium at 3 p.m.

Are games televised?

Yes. Fox Sports is the English-language home in the U.S. for the World Cup, with 70 matches set to be aired on Fox and 34 more on FS1. All matches will stream live on Fox One and the Fox Sports app. Spanish-speaking viewers in the U.S. will be able to catch on NBCUniversal's Telemundo and Universo. Peacock, FuboTV, Hulu, YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream will also offer some matches.

Who is the defending World Cup champion?

Argentina won in 2022 (in Qatar) and is trying to do something that hasn't been done in generations: win back-to-back World Cups. The only nations to achieve that feat were Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).

Who is favored to win the 2026 World Cup?

Spain (+450) is the betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by 2022 runner-up and current European champion France (+550), England (+650), Brazil (+800), Argentina (+800) and Portugal (+1000). Other top contenders are Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Belgium. Colombia, Uruguay and Ecuador could challenge, while Japan, Croatia, Switzerland and Turkey should contend. Morocco, a 2022 semifinalist, is a “sleeper.”

And the longshots?

The longest shots are Haiti and Curacao, both currently at +250000, meaning a $100 bet on either of those nations would return $250,000 if they were to win the World Cup.

What about Team USA?

The U.S., No. 16 in FIFA rankings, has odds of +4000 and is considered a favorite to come out of Group D play. In 2022, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16, then lost 3-1 to Netherlands. Christian Pulisic is the face of the 2026 team, but he has been in months-long scoring drought. Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams are top midfielders along with Antonee Robinson. Chris Richards is the best U.S. center back option, while forward Folarin Balogun scored in eight straight Ligue 1 games for Monaco this season.

What about Joe Scally?

Long Island’s Scally, a 23-year-old defender from Lake Grove, is playing in his second World Cup for Team USA, having also competed in Qatar in 2022.

When does Team USA play?

In Group D round-robin play:

Friday, June 12: vs. Paraguay at Inglewood, Calif., 9 p.m.

Friday, June 19: vs. Australia at Seattle, 3 p.m.

Thursday, June 25: vs Turkey at Inglewood, Calif., 10 p.m.

Has the U.S. ever won the World Cup?

No. The men have never won the Cup. The U.S. women’s team has won four World Cup titles.

Can I get tickets?

Ticket information is available at fifa.com. They can also be found on various secondary markets.