USA TODAY
June 11, 2026Updated June 12, 2026, 11:58 p.m. ET
The 2026 World Cup is the largest in the history of the event. For the first time ever, a total of 48 teams will play in the tournament, a 16-team increase from the 32 qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.
Among the teams, 45 of them had to qualify for the World Cup. The other three – Canada, Mexico and the United States – qualified automatically as the hosts of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will be comprised of a round robin group stage and a single-elimination knockout round. A total of 32 teams will advance from the group stage into the knockout round, and an overall total of 104 matches will be played to determine this year’s champion.
Here’s everything to know about the 2026 World Cup as the global tournament gets underway and begins its five-and-a-half week run.NEWSLETTER: Sign up to get all the World Cup highlights in your inbox
How does the World Cup group stage work?
For the 2026 World Cup’s group stage, the tournament’s 48 teams will be split into 12, four-team groups. Each team will play its groupmates once and will earn three points in the group standings for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.
When the round robin tournament is finished, the first- and second-place teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage. The eight best third-place teams across each group will also make it to the next round.
The top third-place teams will be determined by the following factors:
- Points
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Team conduct score
- FIFA world ranking
Because there is a chance there will be tiebreakers, if three or more teams finish with the same number of group stage points, the following tiebreakers will apply:https://www.usatoday.com/tangfrag/sports/wc-standings-carousel/?prm-embedded&prm-league=WC&prm-season=2026&prm-group=Group%20A
- Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned
- Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned
- Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned
How does the World Cup knockout stage work?
Once the knockout stage bracket is created, the World Cup becomes a single-elimination tournament. The bracket will start with the Round of 32 and the field will halve itself during each round.
The lone exception is that the two semifinal losers will play in a third-place game ahead of the World Cup final.
World Cup groups: What countries made the 2026 tournament?
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Czechia
Group B
- Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Turkey
Group E
- Germany
- Curacao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Sweden
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- Iraq
- Norway
Group J
- Argentina
- Algeria
- Austria
- Jordan
Group K
- Portugal
- DR Congo
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
Who is favored to win the World Cup?
Spain is favored to win the 2026 World Cup, according to the latest odds from BetMGM. France, England, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil are also expected to be top contenders at the event, as each entered the tournament with better than 10-1 odds to win it.
Here’s a look at the odds from BetMGM:
- Spain: +450
- France: +500
- England: +700
- Portugal: +800
- Argentina: +900
- Brazil: +900
- Germany: +1400
- Netherlands: +2000
- Belgium: +3300
- Norway: +3300
- Colombia: +4000
- Morocco: +4000
- Japan: +5000
- United States: +5000
- Mexico: +6600
- Senegal: +6600
- Switzerland: +6600
- Turkey: +6600
- Uruguay: +6600
Where is the 2026 World Cup being played?
The 2026 World Cup is being played across three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. A total of 16 venues will be used, with 11 being in the United States.
