In just 100 days, the world's biggest stars will flood into the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the largest World Cup ever staged. The 2026 tournament is set to shatter the attendance records set in 1994, expand to 48 teams for the first time, and deliver more matches -- and more chaos -- than any edition before it.
Expectations are soaring for the host nations, and with unprecedented scale and global attention, this World Cup has the potential to redefine the sport in North America.
Tuesday, March 3, marks the 100-day countdown until the start of the tournament, and with that in mind, we have got you covered with 100 things to know for the World Cup:
1. Supersize me: This will be the first men's World Cup with 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team era (1998-2022)
2. More teams means more games: 104 games to be exact, which is 40 more than the previous 32-team editions.
3. Three's company: The tournament is hosted by three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
4. Historic trio: We've seen two countries host a men's World Cup before (South Korea and Japan in 2002), but this is the first time that three countries will host this tournament.
5. Hat trick: Mexico becomes the first nation to host/co-host three men's World Cups (1970, 1986, 2026)
6. Back in North America: The men's World Cup returns to North America for the first time since 1994, which means this is the second time the United States has hosted the tournament.
7. Canada will host the men's World Cup for the first time.
8. 38 days of madness: The World Cup runs from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19.
9. All roads lead to ... MetLife Stadium in New Jersey -- home of the New York Giants and New York Jets in the NFL -- will host the final.
10. Halftime show: For the first time in history, the World Cup will include a halftime show similar to that of American sporting events like the Super Bowl, where Bad Bunny was the most recent halftime performer.
11. Mexico gets the right to host the tournament's opening match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where it will face South Africa on June 11.
12. Canada and the United States will have to wait a day later (June 12) to host their first games. The Canadians kick off at 3 p.m. ET at BMO Field in Toronto, while the U.S. will open its campaign at night against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in the greater Los Angeles area.
13. The competition will be played across 16 host cities, split into three regions in an effort to help minimize travel.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Lincoln Financial Field
- Miami, Florida -- Hard Rock Stadium
- New York/New Jersey -- MetLife Stadium
- Kansas City, Missouri -- Arrowhead Stadium
- Mexico City, Mexico -- Estadio Azteca
- Los Angeles, California -- SoFi Stadium
- San Francisco, California -- Levi's Stadium
17. Group stage: More teams and more games means more groups in the group stage. We are getting 12 groups of four teams, up from eight in previous iterations.
18. First and second place from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
19. Third-place finishers now have a chance to reach the next round from the group stage. The top eight third-place teams from the 12 groups move on.
20. Tiebreakers: If teams are tied at the end of the group stage on head-to-head points, the following criteria are applied in order. This will also be used for determining the best third-placed teams. Points in head-to-head matches, goal difference in head-to-head matches, most goals scored in head-to-head matches, overall group goals difference, overall goals scored, fair play points, and then who has the better FIFA ranking.
21. Round of 32: As a result of an expanded field and third-place finishers being able to qualify for the knockout stages, the 2026 World Cup will introduce a round of 32 for the first time.
22. Knockout stage dates: The knockout rounds stretch across three high‑stakes weeks. The round of 32 runs from June 28 to July 3, followed by the round of 16 from July 4-7. Quarterfinals take place July 9-11, with semifinals set for July 14-15. The tournament wraps with the third‑place match on July 18 and the World Cup final on July 19.
23. Four games per day? Sign us all up. The group stage will generally feature four staggered kickoff times each day during most of the group stage (12 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET).
24. Can I interest you in six per day? The only exception in the group stage is during the final matchday. To maintain competitive integrity, the final four matchdays of the group stage will feature six matches per day, played in simultaneous slots.
25. What about a midnight kickoff time? Soccer sickos and/or Socceroos will get up for this. Australia will open its World Cup campaign with a midnight start time against a UEFA playoff winner. Additionally, for footy-after-dark lovers, Jordan will face Algeria on June 22 at 11 p.m. ET.
26. All in all, there are 13 different kickoff times in the 2026 World Cup.
27. Soccer on the Fourth of July: Hot dogs, fireworks, cookouts, and footy? The 2022 World Cup brought us the United States facing England on Thanksgiving, and on the 250th anniversary of America's independence, fans will be treated to two round-of-16 matchups. Houston and Philadelphia will play hosts on a day that will surely be a show.
28. Do we know who all 48 teams are? Surprisingly, no! Forty-two of the 48 slots are set, while the other six will come from the playoff winners.
29. Which spots are up for grabs? There are still four slots in UEFA, with 16 teams in contention. They play in the UEFA playoffs in late March. FIFA will hold its own intercontinental playoffs in late March, with six teams competing for the final two spots.
30. Teams participating in UEFA playoffs: Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, Ireland
31. Teams participating in World Cup playoffs: Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Suriname
32. The United States is already paired with Paraguay and Australia, but it awaits the winner of one of the UEFA playoff brackets to complete its group. One of these four UEFA teams will qualify into USA's group: Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo.
33. The same goes for Canada, which already has Switzerland and Qatar. One of these four UEFA teams will qualify for Canada's group: Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
34. Mexico sits in the same boat, with South Korea and South Africa in its group; it awaits one of these four from the UEFA playoffs: Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, or Ireland.
35. For the first time, Oceania qualified directly. Previously, Oceania only had a place in the intercontinental playoff, but now New Zealand has qualified for the group stage, while New Caledonia could make this the first-ever World Cup with two teams from Oceania if they advance from the intercontinental playoff.
36. Here are the complete group stage pairings:
- Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, UEFA Playoff D (Denmark/North Macedonia/Czechia/Ireland)
- Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Playoff A (Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
- Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, UEFA Playoff D (Turkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo)
- Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Playoff B (Sweden/Ukraine/Poland/Albania)
- Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde
- Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Intercontinental Playoff 2 (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname)
- Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Intercontinental Playoff 1 (DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia)
- Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
