World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup stadiums will be divided into sixteen venues. Get to know them.

MetLife Stadium / HOK Hard Rock Stadium / HOK Gillette Stadium / Populous NRG Stadium / Populous Mercedes-Benz Stadium / HOK Despite the confusion around

Fortunately, soccer fans don't have to wait very long for international soccer to return. The FIFA Women's World Cup is in July 2023, and some of the qualifying ...

In 2026, the World Cup will expand from 32 teams to 48. - Houston — NRG Stadium. - Boston — Gillette Stadium. - Atlanta — Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Fortunately, soccer fans don’t have to wait very long for international soccer to return. FIFA has not yet released the exact dates of the tournament, but it will return to its usual June and July time slot.

The 2022 World Cup has made history for a number of reasons. Not only have records fallen in Qatar, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first male to score ...

This 16-team format remained until the 1982 tournament in Spain, where the format was expanded to include 24 teams, with six groups of four teams established. Therefore, the confederations involved in the playoff tournament have an extra potential one-third of a spot at the World Cup. In 2017, the FIFA council went with the fourth option and voted to increase the number of teams from 32 to 48. They also decided that the qualification process would include an intercontinental playoff tournament, which would involve six teams to decide the last two spots at the World Cup. However, it will also be the last to feature 32 teams after FIFA approved an expansion of the tournament for the next edition in 2026. Former Arsenal manager and FIFA's chief of global football Arsene Wenger has said that a number of options are still on the table for the 48-team World Cup, adding: "It is not decided but it will be 16 groups of three, 12 groups of four, or two sides of six groups of four.

No sooner has the four-week action in Qatar 2022 come to an end than fans start to ponder the next one.

[a rollercoaster ride for the last four weeks in Qatar](https://en.as.com/soccer/the-best-of-the-2022-qatar-world-cup-the-outtakes-v/?omnil=vtop-home&pbsvideo=top) as we have witnessed some stunning play, inspirational stories as well as a fair selection of shocks. It will also be the first in which 48 nations participate, 16 more than in Qatar and in the previous seven World Cups, with the expectation that teams will be split into 16 groups of three, with two of those three teams progressing to the round of 32, implying one extra knockout round in comparison to the current format. As it currently stands, teams pick up three points for a win, one for a draw and nothing for a loss. The North American continent will offer its coastal cities with mountainous back drops, as well as the hustle and bustle of places like Atlanta and and New York. Up north across the border Canada will undoubtedly showcase the multicultural melting pot that is Toronto. Fans return their attention to the domestic and continental club competitions, but a thought is thrown in the direction of the next edition.

Despite the decision to hold Qatar 2022 midway through the club season—making it a winter tournament for European teams—the next iteration will revert back to ...

The former changed Argentina's style of play completely, giving them a difficult press to deal with and freeing up Messi to do his thing. Just because we are unlikely to see two of the greatest players of all time in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and generational talents such as Luka Modrić at another World Cup, doesn't mean it's time for sadness. The goal for 2026 has to be to go further at the very least. A great deal of major talent shone in Qatar and is set to play even bigger roles four years from now. One has to wonder if Harry Kane, who will be 33 by the end of the next tournament, will need some stiffer competition in North America. It's also easy to forget Ferrán Torres is only 22 years old and still has many years of improvement ahead of him. Twelve groups of four seem more palatable, but there is likely to be a fair bit of toing and froing as the governing body does what it can to maximise profits from television rights for the competition. It's likely both Spain and England will be looking to 2026 as their opportunity to strike. All knockout games from the quarter-finals on will take place in the U.S., with MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey), SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) and AT&T Stadium (Dallas) among the favourites to host the final. While Brazil is always expected to perform, there will certainly need to be an uptick in key areas ahead of 2026. The dressing room influence of Thiago Silva and Dani Alves will be long gone. FIFA initially indicated this would break down into 16 groups of three, a format that was put forward to ensure every country goes for the win in their two confirmed games.