Everything to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Start the countdown, because in 100 days, the biggest World Cup in history will begin. It will also be the most complicated.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026 inside the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a soccer cathedral that has already crowned Pele and Diego Maradona inside its walls. 

This World Cup will attempt something it has never dared before: 48 teams, 104 matches, spread out across 16 different cities in three countries, and a continent stretched like a stage from Vancouver to Miami to Monterrey.

By the time the World Cup Final kicks off at MetLife Stadium on July 19, over six million fans are expected to have filled seats across North America. FIFA estimates a $40 billion dollar economic jolt from the three countries hosting the event, with a projected six billion more fans across the globe watching the matches from their living rooms. 

But before the spectacle starts, there’s plenty of unanswered questions and information fans need to know ahead of that first match in Mexico City. 

Is everything ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Let’s start with the obvious. 

Is the tournament actually ready?

The honest answer 100 days out is maybe. 

Infrastructure is important when attempting an event of this magnitude. Unlike Qatar or Brazil, the United States, Mexico and Canada are not racing to build new stadiums from scratch before the games begin. The stadiums are already here, have hosted huge sporting events before, and are ready to go. 

Nonetheless, most of these venues — especially in the United States – are NFL arenas built for American football. They weren’t designed for World Cup pitches dimensions and a majority of them are removing their artificial turf for real grass that has been mandated to play on by FIFA. 

Here in Los Angeles, a monster truck show is scheduled to roll through SoFi Stadium in April before FIFA can take control and prepare for Group Play matches. At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, platforms are being engineered to widen the fields. Estadio Azteca is currently in the middle of renovations. All three are hustling to meet FIFA’s requirements in time for the opening game in 100 days. 

But let’s be clear: this is not organized chaos, but rather controlled stress. Imagine a symphony tuning their instruments before playing the first note. It may take a second, but everything will be ready to go on time. 

Will Iran Participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room, Iran. 

The country, which is one of 42 teams that have already qualified for the tournament — six more are still up for grabs — has publicly questioned whether it will participate amid escalating tensions with the United States. 

If Iran decides not to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they will make history, as no country in modern history has ever qualified for the tournament and then boycotted. If Iran does withdraw, FIFA would scramble for a replacement and absorb a reputational blow in the process.

“Football unites the world,” has always been the game’s global slogan.

Nothing feels united right now in a fragile world that won’t stop fighting. 

Is the 2026 FIFA World Cup safe for fans to travel to?

Prior to the conflict erupting in the Middle East, plenty of fans across the globe had questions regarding the security for the tournament. Especially with political protests erupting throughout the United States in recent months and cartel violence in Mexico rattling host city Guadalajara. 

With 100 days to go FIFA ensures the safety of every host city. But the margin for error is razor thin. When you try and conduct a World Cup across three countries everything, including security is magnified. 

Are tickets still available and why are the prices so high?

FIFA has boasted hundreds of millions of requests for tickets, yet premium seating for the events in the United States are currently pushing past $2,000 per ticket. The lesser group games that feature non powerhouse countries are currently selling for a fraction of that price. What we know is that the market is huge for games played by Argentina, France, England, Spain, Mexico, and the United States. It is less certain for the other countries. 

What stars will be playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Since this is the largest World Cup ever staged, it’s only fitting that it’s the most star-studded as well. 

Let’s start with the G.O.A.T.’s.

Lionel Messi is 38 years old, but still playing for Inter Miami. Cristiano Ronaldo is 41 and also still going strong. They first shared a World Cup stage in 2006. Two decades later, they are still orbiting around the same sun, and still commanding the same gravity. Messi’s Argentina are the reigning champions. Ronaldo’s Portugal believe they have one more run left in them. The idea that their rivalry could end on North American soil feels poetic. 

But they’re not the only stars looking to make history. 

France’s Kylian Mbappe already owns a World Cup trophy, a Golden Boot, and a hat trick in the Final. If he can lead France to another title in 2026, the debate among his place among the immortals will end before he turns 28 years old. 

England’s Harry Kane is scoring like a man chasing history. Spain’s teenage phenomenon Lamine Yamal is gliding past defenders as if the weight of expectation doesn’t exist. Norway’s Erling Haaland finally has a World Cup to announce himself to the world. Egypt’s Mohamed Salah is seeking redemption after injury stole his last chance.

And then there is Captain America. 

Christian Pulisic, now in his prime, has been building toward this summer since he was a teenager in Pennsylvania. If he catches fire — if the midfield around him hums — if the crowd in Los Angeles becomes a wall of red, white and blue — then maybe, just maybe, the U.S. can reach the quarterfinals. A deep American run would not just thrill; it would shift the country’s sporting culture in ways that cannot be undone.

Will expanding to 48 teams dilute the quality of play?

One question on everyone’s mind since FIFA announced they were expanding the World Cup field to 48 teams is would that dilute the quality of play, especially in the early rounds. The answer is probably. Mismatches with this many teams is inevitable. 

The counter argument is that with expansion comes new eyes, new fans, new flags, new anthems, new beliefs, and moments that will last a lifetime. 

Nations like Jordan, Uzbekistan and Curaçao are not fillers; they are evidence of football’s widening pulse. The round of 32 adds jeopardy. One bad night, and a giant could fall. 

The 1994 World Cup helped plant soccer in American soil. The 2026 edition could make it permanent. MLS stadiums are fuller. Youth participation is booming. The sport no longer feels foreign.

Still, ambition always carries risk.

This World Cup is bigger, richer, more global, more politically exposed, more commercially aggressive, more star-driven and more logistically fragile than any before it. 

In 100 days, the anthem will rise at Azteca. Confetti will fall in New Jersey in July. Somewhere between those two moments, a champion will emerge. The only question is whether the tournament that crowns it will be remembered for its brilliance — or for how close it came to cracking under its own weight.

That tension is the story with 100 days go to. 

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com