The countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026 is on, as the most prestigious tournament in international soccer prepares to kick off in June.

For the first time in World Cup history, 48 teams will compete this summer instead of the longstanding 32, widening the competion’s scope in terms of size, inclusivity and drama.

Co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, 2026 will be the first edition of the World Cup to be shared by three separate nations, with 16 world-class stadiums gearing up to stage games in cities across the entire breadth of North America.

This is an event that promises to generate billions, with several industries set to reap the benefits, not least of all in the gambling niche, where 2026 FIFA World Cup being on mansionbet.com/ca and other odds comparison sites is expected to spike.

The Expanded 48-Team Format

The World Cup’s expansion, which has been in the pipeline for a while (circa 2013), introduces a fresh format to accommodate the 16 extra nations that will compete in 2026.

The 48 qualified teams will be split into 12 groups of four, with the top two countries from each section advancing automatically to the next phase. The eight best third-placed finishers will follow once the final shake-up in the group stage is decided.

From there, the World Cup continues into the knockout phase, starting with the Round of 32. The Round of 16 comes next, before the teams are whiddled down to eight quarter-finalists after that.

The semi-finals follow on July 14 and 15 and the losers of those will collide in the third-place playoff on July 18. The climactic event, the 2026 World Cup Final itself, will be contested on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The last World Cup in Qatar (2022) featured 64 games, though this year’s tournament will play 104 different matches over 39 days, highlighting the extent of the expansion.

Alongside host nations the USA, Canada and Mexico, other notable teams for 2026 include defending champions Argentina, current European champions Spain, qualified African side Senegal, as well as World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

Tri-Nation Hosting Across North America

This year’s history-making tri-nation hosting model is logistically ambitious to say the least. Games will be staged at 16 different venues, the biggest of which is the 94,000-seater, AT&T Stadium in Texas.

The United States dominates here, with 11 of the host stadiums sitting inside their borders, with Canada providing two and Mexico the remaining three. The venues that will be used at the 2026 are as follows:

• 
  AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) – 94,000
  
• 
  Estadio Banorte (Mexico City) – 83,000
  
• 
  MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey) – 82,500
  
• 
  Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) – 75,000
  
• 
  GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City) – 73,000
  
• 
  NRG Stadium (Houston) – 72,000
  
• 
  Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California) – 71,000
  
• 
  SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) – 70,000
  
• 
  Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) – 69,000
  
• 
  Lumen Field (Seattle) – 69,000
  
• 
  Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts) – 65,000
  
• 
  Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) – 65,000
  
• 
  BC Place (Vancouver) – 54,000
  
• 
  Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, Monterrey) – 53,500
  
• 
  Estadio Akron (Zapopan, Guadalajara) – 48,000
  
• 
  BMO Field (Toronto) – 45,000
  
  Key Dates and Schedule Highlights
  
  Once the World Cup starts on June 11, the tournament pushes forward at breakneck speed for more than a month. Here’s how the scheduling works, starting from the Group Stage and finishing in the Final:
  

• 
  Group Stage – June 11 to June 27
  
• 
  Roundof32–June28 to July3
  
• 
  Roundof16–July4 to July7
  
• 
  Quarter-Finals – July 9 to July 11
  
• 
  Semi-Finals – July 14 & 15
  
• 
  Third-Place Playoff – July 18
• World Cup Final – July 19

All fixtures from the Quarter-Finals onwards will be played at stadiums in the USA.

Ticket Pricing Controversy

Excitement ahead of the expanded World Cup has been tempered by controversial ticket pricing, however. European fan groups recently went as far as filing a formal complaint with the European Commission over ticket pricing, citing concerns around high costs and purchasing conditions for fans in the European Economic Area.

Responding to that feedback, FIFA have adjusted some of their entry-level costs to make tickets more accessible, however, pricing debates continue to rumble on as the tournament organizers aim to find a beYer balance.

At present, the cheapest openly available tickets for the Final start at around $4,185, which is more than seven times the cost of equivalent seats at the 2022 Final in Qatar.

There were hopes that tickets would be lowered across the board due to the World Cup’s expanded format in 2026, however, for now, prices have been moving in the opposite direction.