The World Cup is about to get a lot bigger.
FIFA’s 2026 men’s tournament starts on Thursday, June 11, and runs until Sunday, July 19, with 48 teams, 104 matches and a 39-day schedule across the United States, Mexico and Canada. FIFA has called it “the biggest and most exciting edition of the tournament to date.”
The matches will be played in 16 cities: 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.
The expanded field will be split into 12 groups, with each team playing the other teams in its group once in the group stage. The knockout round begins on June 29. The final will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
For the United States men’s national team, the tournament brings a home World Cup for the first time since 1994.
FIFA has also announced opening ceremony concerts for each host country’s first match, plus a halftime show for the final.
“The Fifa World Cup is a moment the world shares, and that begins with how we open it,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said while announcing the lineup. He called the June 11-12 opening performances a “powerful way to begin a truly global celebration.”
J Balvin and Tyla will perform before the first game in Mexico at Estadio Azteca on June 11. On June 12, Katy Perry and Future will perform at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles before the first match on U.S. soil, while Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette will perform at BMO Field before Toronto’s first game.
For the final on July 19, Shakira is set to perform a halftime concert alongside Madonna and BTS at MetLife Stadium. Shakira also released the tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai,” with Burna Boy. Other songs on the official FIFA World Cup 2026 playlist include “Lighter” by Jelly Roll and Carín Leon, and “Goals” by Lisa, Anitta and Rema.
Among the biggest names expected at the tournament is Lionel Messi, the Argentina striker who led his country to the 2022 World Cup title after beating France in the final on penalties. Messi and France captain Kylian Mbappé combined for five of the match’s six goals before Argentina won the shootout 4-2.
Mbappé, now with Real Madrid, won the Golden Boot in 2022 after scoring eight goals. He won the World Cup with France in 2018.
“There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” Mbappé recently told reporters, according to The Guardian. “Is it a stronger team? We’ll have to see the results, but we can really aim high with this team.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is also set for another World Cup. The Portugal forward will play in his sixth tournament, which he said last year would be his last, according to Sky Sports.
“It will be tough, of course,” Ronaldo said of retiring. “I probably will cry.”
England captain Harry Kane is coming off a season in which he scored 36 goals for Bayern Munich, the most of any player in a top European league this year. Spain’s Lamine Yamal, 18, had 16 goals and 11 assists in 28 matches for Barcelona after helping Spain win the 2024 European Championship.
“He can win the World Cup all by himself,” Brazil forward Vinicius Jr. recently said of Yamal, according to BBC. “He does incredible things.”
