Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup includes 48 teams, an expansion from the 32 teams that competed in previous tournaments since 1998. The teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-place finishers advancing to the round of 32.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada across sixteen cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. It is the first World Cup to be hosted by three nations.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final takes place on the 19th of July 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The tournament runs from the 11th of June to the 19th of July 2026, lasting 39 days in total.
The United 2026 bid, representing Canada, Mexico, and the United States, won the hosting rights at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow on the 13th of June 2018. The bid received 134 valid votes against Morocco's 65.
Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It is also the first tournament in which all six FIFA confederations have at least one guaranteed berth.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has a total prize distribution of $871 million, which is $431 million more than the previous tournament. The champion receives $50 million in performance-based prize money. Every qualified team also receives a $10 million qualification payment and a $2.5 million preparation fee.