FIFA World Cup 2026 explained in maps and charts

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

This year’s football tournament will be the largest World Cup ever held, expanding from 32 to 48 national teams.

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In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera explores the qualified teams, groups, match schedule, host stadiums and prize money for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Which 48 teams have qualified?

For the first time in the tournament’s history, 48 teams will compete in the world’s biggest football tournament, up from the 32-team format in place since France 1998, itself an expansion from 24 teams (1982-1994) and 16 before that.

The three host nations: The US, Mexico and Canada qualified automatically, while the remaining 45 teams earned their spots through a two-year qualifying process across FIFA’s six continental confederations.

INTERACTIVE-Football FIFA Teams that have qualified for the World Cup 2026-1776671102 — (Al Jazeera)

Who are the groups?

The tournament will feature 12 groups of four teams. The top two from each group advance automatically to the knockout stage, joined by the eight best third-placed finishers, meaning 32 of the 48 teams will progress, before a new Round of 32 narrows the field further.

INTERACTIVE-Football FIFA How teams are group World Cup 2026-1776670778 — (Al Jazeera)

When is each team playing?

There will be 72 matches during the group stage and 32 in the knockout rounds, for a total of 104 – up from 64 at Qatar 2022. The graphic below shows when each team plays during the group stage.

INTERACTIVE-Football FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage schedule-1776670775 — (Al Jazeera)

Use the widget below to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.

Where will the matches be played?

Matches will be played across 16 cities in three countries. The US will host the most – 78 matches across its 11 stadiums, with Mexico and Canada each hosting 13 matches across their respective three and two stadiums.

INTERACTIVE-Football FIFA Venues of World Cup 2026-1776670771 — (Al Jazeera)

Where and when will the opening match be played?

The opening match takes place on June 11 at 13:00 local time, (19:00 GMT) at Mexico City Stadium, where hosts Mexico face fellow Group A side South Africa – a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener, which ended 1-1 in Johannesburg.

INTERACTIVE World Cup 2026 Stadiums Mexico_City_Stadium-1779602609 — (Al Jazeera)

Where will the final be played?

The final will be held on Sunday July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 local time (19:00 GMT) in front of a capacity crowd of 82,500.

INTERACTIVE World Cup 2026 Stadiums New_Jersey_Stadium-1779602617 — (Al Jazeera)

Which teams have won the most titles?

Since the inaugural tournament in 1930, eight different teams have won the men’s FIFA World Cup.

Brazil has won the most titles with 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002).

INTERACTIVE - World Cup Winners History-1777297914 — (Al Jazeera)

Mexico has hosted the global tournament twice before, in 1970 and 1986. The US hosted the games in 1994. This will be the first time for Canada to be a cohost of the tournament.

INTERACTIVE-Football FIFA History of the World Cup-1776670773 — (Al Jazeera)

How much is the prize money?

This year’s winning team will receive a record $50m in prize money along with the 18-carat gold-plated trophy – up from $42m in Qatar 2022. The graphic below shows how the prize money has grown from $2.2m in 1982 to $50m in 2026.

INTERACTIVE - FIFA World Cup prize money trophy-1777297912 — (Al Jazeera)

The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.

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