EXPLAINERQualified teams, groups, schedule and snapshot of stadiums that will host World Cup matches.Published On 10 Jun 202610 Jun 2026The 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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listIn 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. (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. (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. (Al Jazeera)What time are World Cup matches in my time zone?Use the widget below to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time. Advertisement 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. (Al Jazeera)Where and when will the opening match be played?The opening match take …
