The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 11 and will continue until July 19. For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the tournament will be hosted jointly by three countries. Previously, Japan and South Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico had earlier hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986. This will be the 3rd time Mexico hosts the tournament, although not as the sole host nation. For the first time, Canada and the host of the 1994 World Cup, United States, will jointly host the event alongside Mexico.

For the first time ever, 48 teams will participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The inaugural World Cup in 1930 was hosted by Uruguay, where 13 teams competed and the host nation defeated Argentina in the final.

The number of participating teams was increased to 32 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. However, in 2013, former French footballer and then UEFA President Michel Platini proposed expanding the tournament to 48 teams. The proposal was later supported in 2016 by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. On January 10, 2017, FIFA officially approved the expansion to 48 teams.

On March 14, 2023, the FIFA Council decided that the 48 teams would be divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from every group will qualify for the next round, while the remaining eight spots will be filled by the best third-placed teams.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will span 39 days, with the finalists potentially playing up to eight matches during the tournament. A total of 104 matches will be played across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The opening match of the tournament will be played in Mexico City between hosts Mexico and South Africa. Matches of the FIFA World Cup will be held across 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

In Group “A” of the FIFA World Cup, hosts Mexico are placed alongside South Korea, South Africa, and Czech Republic. Group “B” includes hosts Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland.

Group “C” features five-time world champions Brazil along with Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. In Group “D”, hosts United States will face Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey.

Group “E” contains 10th-ranked Germany alongside Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Curaçao. In Group “F”, the 7th ranked Netherlands will compete against Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Group “G” is expected to attract major attention, where Iran, currently involved in Middle East tensions, will face New Zealand, Egypt, and Belgium.

In Group “H”, 2nd ranked Spain champions of the 2010 South Africa World Cup will take on Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Cape Verde.

Group “I” features top-ranked France against Senegal, Iraq, and Norway.

Defending champions Argentina are placed in Group “J” with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.

Group “K” includes legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal alongside Uzbekistan, Colombia, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Meanwhile, in the final group of the 12-group tournament, Group “L”, 1966 World Cup winners England will face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.

According to the current FIFA world rankings, France are ranked first, followed by Spain in second place. Defending champions Argentina are third, while England stand fourth. Portugal are fifth, Brazil sixth, and Netherlands seventh. Joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup, Portugal, are eighth, followed by Belgium in ninth place and Germany in tenth.

Football experts believe that, based on the FIFA rankings, the higher-ranked teams are more likely to progress further in the World Cup. All of the teams currently occupying the top ten positions in the FIFA rankings will feature in the tournament. However, 12th-ranked Italy have once again failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Italy, who won the FIFA World Cup in 1934, 1938, 1982, and most recently in 2006, will miss the tournament for a third consecutive time after also failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions.