The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 and will be held across three countries for the first time—the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will be the largest in history: instead of 32 teams, 48 national teams will participate.
The format has changed. Teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-place finishers, will advance to the knockout stage. This makes the group stage less intense but increases the importance of goal difference and the final score, even in matches against the favorites.
2026 World Cup Groups
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic.
Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey.
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, 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.
The main favorites of the tournament are Argentina, France, Spain, Brazil, and England. Argentina enters the tournament as the reigning world champion, France remains one of the strongest teams in Europe, Spain boasts a strong generation of young players, Brazil is traditionally among the title contenders, and England remains one of the most expensive and balanced national teams in terms of its roster.
Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, and Uruguay are also worth keeping an eye on. These teams may not always look like the top favorites, but they have enough quality to go far in the knockout stage.
Among the second-tier teams, Morocco, Croatia, Switzerland, Japan, Colombia, and Senegal are worth watching. Morocco has already proven at the 2022 World Cup that it can compete with European powerhouses, Croatia remains a tournament-ready team, and Japan is steadily improving and knows how to play against strong opponents.
From an economic standpoint, the 2026 World Cup will be not only a soccer event but also an infrastructure one. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico will see an influx of tourists, with hotels, airlines, restaurants, fan zones, the advertising market, and city services all experiencing additional demand for a month and a half.
The main intrigue of the tournament is whether the expanded format will maintain the quality of soccer. On the one hand, there will be more matches with clear favorites. On the other hand, smaller national teams will have a better chance of making it onto the world stage, and fans will have more unexpected storylines.
