The2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed asFIFA World Cup 26,[1] will be the 23rdFIFA World Cup, thequadrennial international men'ssoccer championship contested by thenational teams of the member associations ofFIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.[2] It will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities—eleven in theUnited States, three inMexico, and two inCanada. The tournament will be the first to be hosted by three nations.
This tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from 32. TheUnited 2026 bid beat arival bid by Morocco during a final vote at the68th FIFA Congress inMoscow. It will be the first men's World Cup since2002 to be co-hosted by multiple nations. With its past hosting of the1970 and1986 tournaments, Mexico will become the first country to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times. The United States previously hosted the men's World Cup in1994. By contrast, it will be Canada's first time hosting or co-hosting the men's tournament. The event will return to its traditionalNorthern Hemisphere summer schedule after the2022 World Cup inQatar was held in November and December.
The general idea of expanding the tournament had been suggested as early as 2013 by thenUEFA presidentMichel Platini,[3][4] and also in 2016 by FIFA presidentGianni Infantino.[5] Opponents of the proposal argued that the number of games played was already at an unacceptable level,[6] that the expansion would dilute the quality of the games,[7][8] and that the decision was driven by political rather than sporting concerns, accusing Infantino of using the promise of bringing more countries to the World Cup towin his election.[9]
Starting with this edition, the FIFA World Cup expanded to 48 teams, an increase of 16 teams compared with the previous seven tournaments.[10] The teams will be split into twelve groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to a new round of 32, as approved by theFIFA Council on March 14, 2023.[11] This is set to be the first expansion and format change since1998.
The total number of games played will increase from 64 to 104, and the number of games played by teams reaching the final four will increase from seven to eight. The tournament will last 39 days, an increase from 32 days of the2014 and2018 tournaments.[12][13] Each team will still play three group matches.[14][15] The final matchday at club level for players named in the final squads is May 24, 2026; clubs have to release their players by May 25, with exceptions granted to players participating in continental club competition finals up until May 30. The 56 days of the combined rest, release, and tournament periods remain identical to the2010, 2014 and 2018 tournaments.[11]
Previous expansion formats
The expansion to 48 teams had already been approved on January 10, 2017, when it was decided that the tournament would include 16 groups of 3 teams, and 80 matches in total, with the top two teams of each group progressing to a round of 32.[10][16] Under this later-superseded format, the maximum number of games per team would have remained at seven, but each team would have played one fewer group match than before. The tournament still would have been completed within 32 days.[17] The later-superseded format was chosen over three other proposals, ranging from 40 to 48 teams, from 76 to 88 matches, and from one to four minimum matches per team.[18][19][20]
Critics of the later-superseded format argued that the use of three-team groups with two teams progressing significantly increased the risk of collusion between teams.[21] This promptedFIFA to suggest thatpenalty shootouts may be used to prevent draws in the group stage,[22] although even then some risk of collusion would remain, and a possibility would emerge of teams deliberately losing shootouts to eliminate a rival.[21] To address these concerns, FIFA continued considering alternative formats[23] – a process that ended with the 2023 announcement that the format would be 12 groups of 4 teams.
TheFIFA Council went back and forth between 2013 and 2017 on limitations within hosting rotation based on the continental confederations. Originally, it was set that bids to be host would not be allowed from countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments. It was temporarily changed to only prohibit countries belonging to the confederation that hosted the previous World Cup from bidding to host the following tournament,[24] before the rule was changed back to its prior state of two World Cups.
The FIFA Council made an exception to potentially grant eligibility to member associations of the confederation of the second-to-last host of the FIFA World Cup in the event that none of the received bids fulfill the strict technical and financial requirements.[25][26] In March 2017, FIFA presidentGianni Infantino confirmed that "Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) are excluded from the bidding following the selection ofRussia andQatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively."[27] Therefore, the 2026 World Cup could be hosted by one of the remaining four confederations:CONCACAF (North America; last hosted in1994),CAF (Africa; last hosted in2010),CONMEBOL (South America; last hosted in2014), orOFC (Oceania, never hosted before), or potentially by UEFA in case no bid from those four met the requirements.
Co-hosting the FIFA World Cup—which had been banned by FIFA after the2002 World Cup—was approved for the 2026 World Cup, though not limited to a specific number but instead evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also for 2026, the FIFA general secretariat, after consultation with the Competitions Committee, had the power to exclude bidders who did not meet the minimum technical requirements to host the competition.[25]
Canada, Mexico, and the United States had each publicly considered bidding for the tournament separately, but the United joint bid was announced on April 10, 2017.[28][29] In March 2022,Liga MX president Mikel Arriola claimed Mexico's involvement as cohost could have been at risk if the league and the federation had not responded quickly to theQuerétaro–Atlas riot between rival fans that left 26 spectators injured and resulted in 14 arrests. Arriola said FIFA was "shocked" by the incident but Infantino was satisfied with the sanctions handed down against Querétaro.[30]
The voting took place on June 13, 2018, during the68th FIFA Congress inMoscow, and it was opened to all 203 eligible members.[31] The United bid won with 134 valid ballots, while the Morocco bid received 65 valid ballots.[32][29] Iran voted for the option "None of the bids", while Cuba, Slovenia, and Spain abstained from voting.Ghana was suspended by FIFA due to a corruption scandal and was therefore ineligible to vote.[33][34][35][36][37]
During the bidding process, 41 cities with 42 existing, fully functional venues with regular tenants (except Montreal) and two venues under construction (Las Vegas and Los Angeles) submitted to be part of the bid (three venues in three cities in Mexico; six venues in six cities in Canada; 35 venues in 32 cities in the United States).[38] A first-round elimination cut nine venues and nine cities. A second-round elimination cut an additional nine venues in six cities, while three venues in three cities (Chicago,Minneapolis, andVancouver) dropped out due to FIFA's unwillingness to discuss financial details.[39] AfterMontreal dropped out in July 2021 due to lack of provincial funding and support to renovateOlympic Stadium,[40] Vancouver rejoined the bid as a candidate city in April 2022,[41] bringing the total number to 24 venues, each in its own city or metropolitan area.
On June 16, 2022, the sixteen host cities (two in Canada, three in Mexico, eleven in the United States) were announced byFIFA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.[42] Eight of the sixteen chosen stadiums have permanentartificial turf surfaces that are planned to be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and aUniversity of Tennessee–Michigan State University research team. Four venues (Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver) are indoor stadiums that useretractable roof systems, all equipped with climate control while a fifth, Los Angeles, is open-air but has a translucent roof and no climate control.[43] The host of thefinal match—MetLife Stadium inEast Rutherford, New Jersey—was announced by FIFA on February 4, 2024.[44]
Mexico City is the only capital of the three host nations chosen as a venue site, withOttawa andWashington, D.C., joiningBonn (West Germany, 1974) andTokyo (Japan, 2002) as the only capital cities not selected to host World Cup matches. Washington was a host city candidate, but due to the poor state ofFedExField, it combined its bid with nearbyBaltimore's, which was unsuccessful. Other cities eliminated from the final hosting list wereCincinnati,Denver, Nashville,Orlando, andEdmonton. Ottawa's candidate venue,TD Place Stadium, was eliminated early on due to insufficient capacity.[48] None of the stadiums used in the1994 FIFA World Cup will be used in this tournament, andEstadio Azteca is the only stadium in this tournament that was used in the1970 and1986 FIFA World Cups.[49]
Due to FIFA's rules on stadiumsponsorships, the venues will use alternative names for the duration of the tournament, shown in parentheses.[50][51] The capacity is based on information published by FIFA.[51]
A † denotes a stadium used for previous men's World Cup tournaments.
The United Bid personnel anticipated that all three host countries would be awarded automatic berths.[52] On August 31, 2022, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that six CONCACAF teams will qualify for the World Cup, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualifying as hosts.[53][54] This was confirmed by theFIFA Council on February 14, 2023.[55][56]
Immediately prior to the 67thFIFA Congress, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting inManama, Bahrain.[57][58] This includes an intercontinental playoff tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.[59]
The six teams in the playoffs will comprise one team from each confederation excludingUEFA, and one additional team from the confederation of the host countries (CONCACAF). Two of the teams will be seeded based on theWorld Rankings, and they will play the winners of two knockout games between the four unseeded teams for the twoFIFA World Cup berths. The four-game tournament is to be played in one or more of the host countries, and will also be used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.[57] The ratification of slot allocation also gives theOFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time: the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth and also the first time since the2010 edition in which all confederations have a team qualified for the World Cup finals.[57]
Eritrea withdrew from qualification prior to playing any matches, due to concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel overseas.[60][61][62]Congo, drawn in the same group as Eritrea, was suspended on February 6, 2025, due to government interference inFECOFOOT operations.[63][64] CAF initially cancelled Congo's remaining matches.[65] However, Tanzania and Zambia were later awarded 3–0 victories by forfeit.[66] The suspension was lifted by FIFA on May 14, 2025.[67]
Of the 42 teams that have qualified to date, 26 also appeared in the2022 edition.
The draw took place on December 5, 2025, at theKennedy Center inWashington, D.C.[75] The 48 teams were divided into four pots of 12. Pot 1 consisted of the three hosts and the top nine teams from the November 2025FIFA Men's World Ranking. Pots 2, 3, and 4 consisted of the remaining teams according to the ranking. The four winners of theUEFA playoffs and the two winners of theinter-confederation playoffs were not known at the time of the draw, as these matches are scheduled to take place in March 2026, and thus were automatically allocated to Pot 4. The 12 groups were randomly formed by selecting one team from each of the four pots. FIFA's "general principle, whenever possible", was that no group had more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it.[76][77] This principle was applicable to all confederations except UEFA; each group was required to have either one or two UEFA teams drawn into it.
The three host nations were pre-allocated to three groups for scheduling purposes. Mexico was placed in Group A and will play the opening match of the tournament at Estadio Azteca on June 11. Canada and the United States were placed in Groups B and D, respectively. They will play the third and fourth matches of the tournament, respectively, both on June 12.[2][78]
The confederation restriction applied to all three potential winners of the inter-confederation playoffs. FIFA also announced that, "in the interest of ensuring competitive balance", two separate pathways to the semifinals (sides of the knockout bracket) were established. Based on this, the teams ranked first (Spain) and second (Argentina) in the ranking were randomly drawn into groups in opposite pathways, as were the teams ranked third (France) and fourth (England). Therefore, should these pairs of teams win their groups, they will be unable to meet until the final, while all four will be unable to meet until the semifinals.[79] The draw started with Pot 1 and ended with Pot 4, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. For the purpose of the match schedule, the Pot 1 teams were automatically drawn into position 1 of each group. For the remaining pots, FIFA established a predetermined pattern to define the position of teams based on their pot and the group they were drawn into.
In addition to the official team base camps, Canadian communities inAlberni Valley onVancouver Island also sought to be a training camp. The proposal, as an eligible community to host a participating national team for pre-tournament training, was officially recognized by FIFA in July 2025.[109] The proposal centers around the use of the natural-grass field at Bob Dailey Stadium and is noted as the only publicly declared non-host Canadian city to achieve this status for the 2026 tournament.[110][109]
Match schedule
The match schedule, without group assignments, was announced on February 4, 2024.[2][111][112] On June 13, 2024, FIFA released an updated schedule, with specific pairings assigned to venues for the knockout stage.[113] In addition, group stage matches were assigned to specific groups (though pairings for non-host groups were not assigned to specific games until after the final draw). The full schedule was unveiled in a live broadcast on December 6, 2025, the day after the draw.[114]
The opening match was announced to include Mexico, taking place on June 11, 2026, at theEstadio Azteca inMexico City. This game will include South Africa. The opening match involving Canada will take place on June 12 atBMO Field inToronto, while the opening game for the United States will take place on the same day atSoFi Stadium inInglewood. Each host nation is scheduled to play its three matches in the group stage within its own country.
The ranking of teams in each group is determined by the points obtained in all group matches. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria are used to determine the ranking:[119]
Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned;
Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned;
Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned;
If, after having applied criteria a to c, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria a to c are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who are still level to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria d to h apply.
Superior goal difference in all group matches;
Most goals scored in all group matches;
Highest team conduct ("fair play") score in all group matches (only one deduction can be applied to a player or team coach/official in a single match):
Yellow card: −1 point;
Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
Better position in progressively older FIFA Men's World Rankings until teams can be separated;
Prior to the final draw, stadiums were assigned to specific groups.[2] Following the final draw, pairings were allocated to specific matches, and the kickoff times were confirmed.[112][120]
First match(es) will be played: June 11, 2026. Source:FIFA Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Team conduct score; 5) LatestFIFA ranking; 6) Previous FIFA ranking(s).
The specific match-ups involving the third-placed teams depend on which eight third-placed teams qualify for the round of 32. The 495 possible combinations were published in Annex C of the tournament regulations.[119]
A player or team official is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offenses:[119]
Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offenses)
Receiving two yellow cards in two matches;[G] yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarterfinals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
Only pending red card suspensions from qualification will be carried forward to the final tournament.[119]
During qualification,Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for violent conduct in Portugal's penultimate match, with such an offense typically resulting in a ban of at least two matches. Ronaldo was handed a three-match ban, though the final two matches of the ban were suspended for a one-year probationary period, making him eligible to appear in Portugal's opening World Cup match.[121]
The following suspensions will be served during the tournament:
The official emblem and brand identity was unveiled on May 17, 2023, at theGriffith Observatory inLos Angeles,California; its basic form consists of a stacked "26" with an image of theFIFA World Cup Trophy in front of it (marking the first time that the trophy has been depicted in a World Cup emblem as a photo, as opposed to a stylized representation), but it is designed to be adaptable to different backdrops.[124][125] The next day, FIFA unveiled variants of the emblem for each of the host cities, which feature color variants and designs that reflect local landscapes or culture (with the Los Angeles emblem featuring a stylized sun and wave, the Monterrey emblem featuring imagery of theCerro de la Silla mountain, and Toronto featuring the city skyline and theCN Tower).[126][127]
Reaction to the logo from the initial unveiling was largely negative, with many feeling that the design was either unfinished or uncreative compared to the emblems of past FIFA World Cup tournaments. By contrast,United States national team playerJesús Ferreira described the emblem as "beautiful".[128][125][129]
On February 12, 2015, FIFA renewed the United States and Canadian broadcasting rights contracts forFox (U.S. English),NBCUniversal (U.S. Spanish), andBell Media (Canada) to cover 2026, without accepting any other bids. A report inThe New York Times asserted that this extension was intended as compensation for the rescheduling of the2022 World Cup to November–December rather than its traditional June–July scheduling, as it created considerable conflicts withmajor professional sports leagues that are normally in their offseasons during the World Cup.[130][131][132]
Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish radio broadcasting rights in the United States and Puerto Rico.[133]
Ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will range initially from $60 for group stage matches to $6,730 for the final—largely increased from the USD equivalent of $69 to $1,607 in the2022 FIFA World Cup. However, in September 2025, FIFA confirmed it would usedynamic pricing for tickets for the first time, following the practice used in the2025 FIFA Club World Cup.[194] Hospitality seats were made available in April 2025 via FIFA's ticket partner for the event.
An initial draw period for non-hospitality seats occurred between September 10–19, 2025, limited toVisa cardholders. A second phase ran from October 27–31, and a third phase started after the final draw of teams on December 5. Sales will be capped at four tickets per person per match, and no person will be able to purchase more than 40 tickets for the overall tournament. FIFA is also expected to start an official resale platform.[194]
On October 2, 2025, FIFA announcedFIFA Heroes as the official video game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled for release in 2026 onAndroid,iOS,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation, andXbox platforms.[195]
Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, and Clutch the Bald Eagle
The official mascots of the tournament were revealed on September 25, 2025, and areMaple, Zayu, and Clutch. Maple is amoose, Zayu is ajaguar, and Clutch is abald eagle, representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States respectively.[196] They were designed to reflect the cultural heritage of their respective countries.[197]
On May 2, 2025, reports surfaced that the match ball would be calledAdidas Trionda. The design features red, green, and blue (the three colors representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively, and also featured on the host countries' flags), as well as a white wave connecting each of the colors, hence the name using theSpanish words for three (tri) and wave (onda).[198] The design also features the national symbols of the three host countries (amaple leaf for Canada, agolden eagle for Mexico, and afive-pointed star for the United States) as well as gold embellishments to represent theWorld Cup Trophy.[199]
On May 17, 2023, the official theme song of the tournament was released, an instrumental track simply titled "FIFA World Cup 26 Theme Song".[200] In March 2025, sixteen remixes of theme were released which featured artists from each host city giving their own local spin to the song.[201]The remixers for each city were:
The FIFA Peace Prize is an international award presented byFIFA. Established in 2025, its stated aim is to honor individuals whose actions FIFA characterizes as exceptional contributions to peace and unity, reflecting its campaign slogan "Football Unites the World".[202][203] According to FIFA, the purpose of the prize is to "reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world".[202]
The FIFA Peace Prize was awarded on December 5, 2025, to United States presidentDonald Trump during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at theKennedy Center inWashington, D.C..[204][205][206] FIFA stated that the award recognized his "involvement in ceasefire efforts and diplomatic engagements in several conflicts".[202][207][208]
The creation of the prize and the choice of Trump as its first recipient generated widespread scrutiny and controversy. Human rights groups, analysts and football stakeholders questioned the transparency of the selection process, the suitability of the inaugural laureate, and the implications both for FIFA's claims of political neutrality and its human rights commitments.[209][210][211][212]
Selection process
FIFA stated that the Peace Prize would be awarded on the recommendation of an independent committee. However, as of the first award, the organization had not disclosed detailed nomination procedures or evaluation criteria.[205][203] FIFA had also not made clear the manner by which the recipient was selected or the exact form the prize would take.[213]
According toThe New York Times, the prize was not discussed at theFIFA Council or with FIFA vice presidents, none of whom had input into the selection criteria, prior to its creation in October 2025.[214] The process behind the award was not made public: there were no nominations announced and no formal selection criteria given.[214][215] Human rights groups, includingHuman Rights Watch, criticized the lack of transparency, reporting that queries about nominees, judges, and criteria remained unanswered.[216][210][217]
Investigations byThe Guardian and other outlets identifiedZaw Zaw, a Myanmar businessman and long-serving president of theMyanmar Football Federation, as chair of the selection committee.[218][219] Critics highlighted his ties to Myanmar's former military junta and to human rights abuses against theRohingya people, raising concerns about the credibility of a peace award under his oversight.[218][219][216]
Prize money
In December 2025, FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations. This edition's total prize pool will be $655 million, $215 million greater than the prize pool of theprevious tournament. Each qualified team will also receive an additional $1.5 million before the competition to cover preparation costs, thus guaranteed a minimum $10.5 million total in prize money.[220][221]
Place
Teams
Amount (in millions)
Per team
Total
Champions
1
$50
$50
Runners-up
1
$33
$33
Third place
1
$29
$29
Fourth place
1
$27
$27
5th–8th place (quarter-finals)
4
$19
$76
9th–16th place (round of 16)
8
$15
$120
17th–32nd place (round of 32)
16
$11
$176
33rd–48th place (group stage)
16
$9
$144
Total
48
$655
Concerns
Climate concerns
In January 2025,Queen's University Belfast warned about potential heat risks for most of the host cities and urged FIFA to schedule match kickoffs later into the afternoon or evening, stating that thewet-bulb globe temperature in certain host cities was higher than that of Qatar in the winter.[222] During the2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which was also hosted in the United States, several matches reported high temperatures ranging from 90 to 102 °F (32 to 39 °C) and weather delays.[223][224] In December 2025, FIFA announced that all matches at the 2026 World Cup would include a mandatory three-minute hydration break in each half to allow players to rest in hot conditions.[225] The three-minute period would also be available for commercials at the discretion of tournament broadcasters.[226]
Concerns have also been raised by climate activists about the environmental impact of both the expansion to 48 teams as well as traveling between host cities, most of which will require extensive air travel and increase carbon emissions, a counter to one of FIFA's goals on sustainability.[227] A report byScientists for Global Responsibility in July 2025 calculated that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for the tournament would make it one of the most polluting events in the world as it would be almost double the average for the last four tournaments (2022 reportedly had 5.25 million metric tons [5.79 million short tons]), roughly the same amount as 6.5 million cars driven for a year.[228]
Conversely, a "Pride Match" was planned in advance to take place in Seattle, organized by the local committee to tie into thelocal celebration and without endorsement by FIFA. After the draw and release of the schedule, it was determined that this match would feature Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality ispunishable by law.[230] Seattle's Pride Match Advisory Committee spokesperson said "The Pride Match has been scheduled to celebrate and elevate Pride events in Seattle and across the country and it was planned well in advance".[231]Iranian Football Federation PresidentMehdi Taj said both countries had "objections" and that the branding was an "irrational move that supports a certain group." Iran was planning to appeal the decision.[232] TheEgyptian Football Association also sent a formal letter to FIFA Secretary GeneralMattias Grafström rejecting "in absolute terms" LGBTQ connections to the game.[233]
Immigration policy concerns under the Trump administration
During the bidding process, PresidentDonald Trump'sexecutive orders regarding immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries in 2017 implemented during hisfirst term were touted as a potential risk. Infantino stated, "any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup."[27] In response, the Trump administration sent letters to FIFA that read, in part, that Trump was "confident" that "all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination."[234]
In June 2025, thesecond Trump administration reinstated atravel ban affecting citizens from multiple countries, citing national security concerns.[240] The ban, which was later expanded in December, prohibits the issuance of new immigrant andnon-immigrant visas for citizens of 39 affected countries, including those whose teams have qualified for the World Cup—Haiti,Iran,Ivory Coast, andSenegal. The proclamation includes an exemption for any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup,Olympics, or other major sporting events as determined by theSecretary of State.[241][242]
This exemption ensured that national teams' players, coaches, and staff of those designated countries would be permitted to enter the United States for the competition, but theU.S. State Department confirmed that ordinary citizens of the four countries were not covered by this exemption, making them ineligible for visa issuance to attend the matches. While fans were permitted to submit visa applications with the promise of priority if they provided proof of tickets, the department noted that issuance would be unlikely, barring rare "national interest" waivers. However, this restriction can be circumvented if a fan is a valid visa holder, a permanent resident, or adual national who applies using a passport not subject to the ban. In such cases, applicants may still be eligible to enter or apply for entry, provided they satisfy all other immigration and security requirements.[243][244][245]
On November 27, theFootball Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) said it would boycott the December 5 World Cup draw after its president, Mehdi Taj, was denied a visa to enter the United States. Four other delegation members, including head coachAmir Ghalenoei, were approved. An FFIRI spokesperson told state media the United States' decision was "unrelated to sport" and said the federation quickly raised the issue with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.[246] However, on December 3, the FFIRI reversed its decision and announced that it would send representatives to the draw, with head coach Ghalenoei serving as the technical representative of the national football team.[247]
Impact of final game halftime show
On September 28, 2024, FIFA announced thatGlobal Citizen, an international advocacy organization, would co-produce ahalftime show for thefinal game atMetLife Stadium, the first halftime show in the history of the World Cup.[248] The show is intended to copy the format of theSuper Bowl halftime show, featuring a well-known musical performer to increase the tournament's commercial appeal in the market.
The show has generated debate in the global soccer community. Supporters argue that the event modernizes the World Cup and provides a platform for global cultural exchange and revenue growth. However, critics, players, media, unions, and traditionalist fan groups have criticized what they view as the "Americanization" of soccer. Primary objections focus on the potential extension of the traditional 15-minute halftime interval, which generated an argument that it will disrupt player recovery, interfere with technical coaching adjustments, and break the natural flow of the game.[249][250]
Iran's participation
In January 2026, multiple Iranian soccer players and athletes were killed during the2026 Iran massacres amid the2025–2026 Iranian protests, including formerTractor Sazi F.C. midfielderMojtaba Tarshiz, prompting formerIran national team captainMasoud Shojaei to criticize FIFA for its silence over the killing of Iranian athletes during protests, while then-captainMehdi Taremi expressed solidarity with the Iranian people.[251][252][253][254] Following the massacres, activists called onFIFA and theIOC to ban the Iranian teams from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the2026 Winter Olympics.[255]Ali Karimi, a former footballer for the Iran national team, along with a coalition of prominent Iranians, wrote an open letter to FIFA and all its member associations, calling on FIFA presidentGianni Infantino to speak up on the protest deaths.[256]
Notes
^Curaçao is the smallest country by area and the least populous to qualify for the World Cup. Excluding teams from theUnited Kingdom, Curaçao is also the first team representing a non-sovereign nation to qualify for the World Cup since theDutch East Indies in1938.
^Until 1991, Uzbekistan was part of theSoviet Union, which competed at seven World Cup tournaments. Following thedissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan will become the third former Soviet republic to compete as an independent nation afterRussia in1994 andUkraine in2006. FIFA considers Russia to be the successor team of the Soviet Union.
^The number in parentheses indicates theFIFA ranking of teams as of November 19, 2025.[80]
^abcdefThe winners of the European playoffs and the inter-confederation playoffs were not known at the time of the draw.
^The placeholder for the inter-confederation playoff Pathway 1 winner adhered to the confederation restrictions of aCAF,CONCACAF, orOFC team.
^The placeholder for the inter-confederation playoff Pathway 2 winner adhered to the confederation restrictions of anAFC, CONCACAF, orCONMEBOL team.
^As yellow cards are not carried forward topenalty shootouts, players may be shown two yellow cards in the same match without being sent off. However, this would result in a suspension for accumulating two yellow cards during the tournament.
^"New Fifa chief backs 48-team World Cup". HeraldLIVE. October 7, 2016.Archived from the original on October 10, 2016.It's an idea, just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams.
^ab"The FIFA World Cup 26 stadiums". FIFA. July 15, 2025. RetrievedNovember 17, 2025.Stadium official names for the FIFA World Cup 26 have been matched with Host City names and may differ from the common designation used locally.
^"United 2026 bid book"(PDF). united2026.com.Archived(PDF) from the original on September 15, 2021. RetrievedApril 30, 2018.
^abcBeltrán, Jesús F. (February 10, 2026)."Gabriela Cuevas anuncia qué selecciones se concentrarán en México para el Mundial 2026" [Gabriela Cuevas announces which teams will train in Mexico for the 2026 World Cup].infobae (in Spanish). RetrievedFebruary 13, 2026. [El Tri will hold its training camp at the Mexican Football Federation's High Performance Center, located in the Tlalpan borough.]
^Austerheim, Daniel (January 24, 2026)."Bekreftet: Dette blir Norges basecamp under VM".Nettavisen Sport (in Norwegian). RetrievedJanuary 24, 2026. [Greensboro, North Carolina, will be Norway's home base ahead of and between the group matches in Norway's first men's World Cup finals in 28 years. The NFF does not specify which hotel they will stay in, but there is only one option in FIFA's catalog for Greensboro. It's called Grandover Resort, and is described as a premium resort with access to golf courses and a spa, among other things.]
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