The 2026 FIFA World Cup: A Complete Guide
The biggest World Cup ever — 48 teams, three host nations, and a brand-new format. Here’s how the whole tournament works, from the group stage to the final in New York/New Jersey.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and is the first to be co-hosted by three countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It’s also the first 48-team World Cup, expanded from the 32-team format used since 1998. That means more nations, more matches (104 in total), and a longer run to the trophy.
The 48 teams are drawn into 12 groups of four. Each team plays the other three in its group once. The top two from every group advance, plus the eight best third-placed teams— sending 32 teams into a new Round of 32 knockout stage. From there it’s straight single-elimination: a loss ends your tournament.
- Group stage: June 11 – June 27
- Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
- Round of 16: July 4 – July 7
- Quarterfinals: July 9 – July 11
- Semifinals: July 14 – July 15
- Third-place match: July 18
- Final: July 19
Matches are spread across 16 cities — 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada — grouped into three regions to cut down on travel:
- West: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles
- Central: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City
- East: Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey
The final is on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at the New York/New Jersey stadium, in front of a crowd of around 82,500.
In the group stage a match can end in a draw — each team takes a point. From the Round of 32 onward there are no draws: if the score is level after 90 minutes, the match goes to 30 minutes of extra time, and if it’s still tied, to a penalty shootout. That’s worth keeping in mind when reading any win-probability estimate for a knockout game.
For every World Cup fixture we put the two sides head-to-head: recent form, the betting market line, a win-probability estimate, and a written breakdown of the matchup. One note on soccer specifically — our model estimates win/loss probability and does not separately price the draw, so for group games treat it as a two-way lean rather than a full three-way market. See live and upcoming fixtures on the World Cup 2026 page.
Tournament details are based on FIFA’s published format and schedule and may be subject to change. Predictions on MatchupLens are editorial analysis for entertainment only — not betting advice. 21+ where applicable. New to the terms? See our glossary →