The tournament will kick off on Thursday, 11 June 2026 in Mexico City
With 48 teams, the FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the largest and most inclusive edition to date.
Taking place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, next year’s event marks the first FIFA World Cup™ to be hosted across three countries
A video message from President Infantino is available on the FIFA Media Hub.
On 11 June 2026, the world will come together in North America for the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup 26™. Taking place across three countries and 16 vibrant Host Cities with a newly expanded pool of 48 teams, the tournament will be the largest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup™ in history. The 2026 edition is expected to welcome 6.5 million fans to stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States – truly uniting the continent and globe through football.
“One year from now, the greatest football show on the planet will definitely captivate the world like never before,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “This is more than a tournament, it’s a global celebration of connection, unity and passion. From every corner of the world, dreams are turning into reality as teams qualify and fans make their plans to be part of history, counting down to the biggest FIFA World Cup yet.”
The milestone comes as the United States prepares to host the new FIFA Club World Cup™, which kicks off this coming Saturday in Miami, Florida. The tournament will feature 32 of the best teams in club football from around the globe vying to be crowned FIFA’s true club world champion.
In celebration of One Year to Go, all 16 Host Cities will unveil countdown clocks, featuring the city’s locally inspired Official Host City Brand. The clocks have been installed in central and iconic locations across Host Cities and will count down to the stroke of midnight on 11 June 2026, when the world’s greatest sporting event kicks off in North America.
Local community events, celebrations with stakeholders and more will be held around North America, drawing members of the region into the grandest celebration of the tournament yet. Each Host City will also reveal a video that features a local celebrity or personality, highlighting what makes their city unique and inspiring.
“The splendour, culture and unique flavour of each of our 16 Host Cities will be on full display as the FIFA World Cup shows the world all that North America has to offer,” said President Infantino. “We look forward to hosting teams and guests from every continent to celebrate the beautiful game on its most majestic stage.”
As of One Year to Go, the first 13 teams have been confirmed for this historic event. Alongside Canada, Mexico and the USA, who have qualified automatically as co-hosts, 10 additional national teams have recently punched their tickets – including current champions Argentina and first-time qualifiers Jordan and Uzbekistan, as well as Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and New Zealand. The remaining 35 teams will be confirmed through March 2026. Group stage matchups will be determined by the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26™, which is due to be held in December 2025.
Source: Fifa.com
