World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the global association football championship organised by FIFA every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1930 in Uruguay, where the hosts lifted the first trophy. The competition expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 1982, then to 32 in 1998. FIFA Congress approved the move to 48 teams in 2017, aimed at broadening global access. Brazil remains the only five-time champion. The World Cup is the most-watched single sporting event on earth; the 2022 Qatar final drew over 1.5 billion viewers.

The 2026 edition runs 11 June to 19 July across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico — the first tri-nation hosting and the first to feature 104 matches across 12 groups of four. Four nations debuted at the 31 March qualifying conclusion: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Italy missed a third consecutive tournament. Iraq qualified despite operating through fully closed airspace.

With one month to the opener, the tournament faces three simultaneous crises: FIFA's April ticket-sales crash and undisclosed premium seat tiers drew an EU Article 102 complaint from Football Supporters Europe and Euroconsumers; Iran's participation is unresolved after a 10-point FFIRI ultimatum issued 9 May demanding IRGC Visa clearance for Taremi and Hajsafi; and twelve of sixteen host cities had not published human rights plans by HRW's 11 May deadline.

The 2026 edition runs 11 June to 19 July across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the first tri-nation hosting and the first to feature 104 matches across 12 groups of four. The tournament opened at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, on 12 June; a separate ceremony opened in Mexico City on 11 June. After two weeks of group play, the competitive picture is sharpening: Scotland lead Group c on six points and face Brazil on 24 June; Mexico are the first team through to the knockouts; Canada qualified from Group B after a record 6-0 win over Qatar on 18 June. Fan violence reached a host city for the first time when Argentine and Algerian supporters clashed in Times Square on 15-16 June, with NYPD restoring order.

The tournament continues to face overlapping off-field crises. The access-refusal chain has hardened: a Canadian court dismissed Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey's emergency appeal on 16 June, the first judicial rejection, following earlier US CBP decisions on a Somali referee and an Iraqi striker. Vozinha's mother was granted a US Visa on 19 June after intervention by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the State Department. FIFA's ticket-pricing disputes continue: New York and New Jersey's subpoenas and the EU Article 102 competition complaint are unresolved. Secondary-market prices for most group fixtures fell 37% in the week before the opener; final resale get-in prices have eased from a $9,200 peak to roughly $8,300, while USA v Turkey demand surged 109% as the knockout bracket comes into view.

The first 48-team group stage closed on 27 June with all 32 knockout places confirmed. Combined attendance across all 16 venues reached 3,605,357, an all-time tournament record, surpassing the 3,587,538 set in the USA in 1994, with venues filling to 99.7 per cent of capacity. The group stage produced 196 goals, a record for the format. The best-third-place mechanism, in which the eight strongest third-placed sides advance alongside the 12 group winners and 12 runners-up, completed its first full run in tournament history.

The Round of 32 was completed on 3-4 July with all 16 ties settled. A record nine African nations reached the knockouts, the most the continent has ever sent to a World Cup, with Egypt registering the continent's first-ever World Cup knockout win on penalties against Australia and debutants Cape Verde pushing Argentina to extra time before losing 3-2, evidence against the pre-tournament burnout critique of the expanded 48-team format.