Overview

The 2026 FIFA world Cup,the 23rd edition of the tournament,will be jointly hosted by ‍the United States,Canada,and Mexico. This marks the first⁤ time the tournament will be held across⁢ three countries. The event is scheduled to take⁢ place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Tournament Format

The 2026 world Cup will feature⁢ 48 teams, an increase from the traditional 32. This expanded format will be organized into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best ⁤third-place teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

Group Stage

Teams in Pot ⁤1 will be placed in the top position of their respective groups during the draw. FIFA regulations stipulate that ⁢teams from the same confederation cannot be placed in ‍the same group,with the exception of UEFA (the European confederation),which has‍ a‍ sufficient number of teams to necessitate some overlap. The group stage will follow a round-robin format,meaning ‍each team plays every other team in their group once.

Knockout Stage

The knockout stage will consist of a single-elimination bracket. The rounds are as follows: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the⁣ Final. A third-place match will be played between the losing teams from the Semifinals ⁢to determine third and fourth place.

Host cities and Venues

Sixteen cities across the three ⁤host countries have been selected to host⁤ matches. Here’s a⁢ breakdown: