All you need to know about 2026 World Cup
England sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup when Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Latvia to qualify with two matches remaining.
It means Three Lions fans can now begin their preparations for next summer’s tournament, whether they attend or watch on TV.
From where the matches will take place to how to get tickets, here’s everything you need to know about what will be the biggest World Cup in history.
When and where will the 2026 World Cup take place?
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This is the first time that the tournament will be organized by three different nations.
The opening match will take place on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City and the final on July 19 in New Jersey.
The tournament is expanded to include 48 teams for the first time and will therefore last a record 39 days.
It has doubled in size since the last time the tournament was held in the United States, when 24 teams competed for the trophy in 1994.
The new format will include 12 groups of four teams and an additional knockout round – a round of 16 match.
Which cities will host the 2026 World Cup matches?
Sixteen cities will host matches at next summer’s World Cup: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
Here are the host cities for the 2026 World Cup:
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.
When does the World Cup group draw take place?
The group stage draw will take place on Friday December 5 at 5:00 p.m. GMT.
The event will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
Teams representing the host countries will be assigned to positions A1 (Mexico), B1 (Canada) and D1 (United States).
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How to get World Cup tickets – and how much they cost
The first batch of tickets went on sale in early October, with more than 4.5 million fans entering a draw for a chance to purchase them.
Fifa has not officially revealed the full list of prizes, but they are listed online by fans who passed the draw after spending hours in digital queues.
General admission tickets are divided into four categories, with those for the first match in the United States costing between $560 (£417) and $2,235 (£1,662).
The cheapest ticket for the 2026 final costs $2,030 (£1,510) and the most expensive is $6,000 (£4,462). Hospitality tickets, on the other hand, are not yet on sale, but their price will certainly be significantly higher.
Some tickets for matches early in the tournament – in some of the less prestigious locations – are available for $60 (£44), but stadium map images show this is only a tiny proportion of the seats available.
The second phase of ticketing will begin on Monday October 27 with the advance ticket draw which will run until October 31. This will involve an application process followed by random selection.
A draw will take place shortly after the group draw on December 5, during which fans can apply for specific matches.
A last-minute sales phase will take place closer to the tournament, during which fans will be able to purchase any remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fifa is adopting a “dynamic” pricing model for the tournament, meaning the price of tickets for matches deemed to be in high demand could be significantly increased in subsequent sales periods.
Fifa also offers a ‘right to buy’ scheme to guarantee tickets, although fans can expect to pay significantly more for this option.
Which countries qualified for the World Cup?
England have secured their place at next summer’s tournament, alongside 27 other teams.
Argentina, world champion, is one of the qualified but there are still 20 places to fill.
The countries that have already obtained their place are:
Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States.
Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.
Europe: England.
Oceania: New Zealand.
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.
Among these countries, three qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history: Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
Suriname and Curiacao also remain hopeful of joining them as World Cup debutants.
What will the political situation be?
The United States will host 78 of the 104 matches, including the final.
There have been a series of political assassinations in the United States so far in 2025, and more than 500 mass shootings have occurred across the country in 2024.
Forced deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have also increased on orders from President Donald Trump, who has deployed National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, which will host eight games.
The ICE and National Guard deployments have sparked massive protests from wary communities in some cities, and Trump has threatened to force games to be moved from cities he deems "dangerous".
In March, he said political and economic tensions between the United States and tournament co-hosts Canada and Mexico would benefit the tournament.
He made the comment after imposing tariffs – taxes imposed on goods imported from other countries – on the United States’ two neighbors.
What will the weather be like during the World Cup?
Heat was a problem at the Club World Cup in the United States this summer and will be again for next year’s World Cup.
Paris St-Germain coach Luis Enrique complained about his team having to play in near-40 degree heat in the Club World Cup opener against Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles, which kicked off at midday local time.
Many coaches and players were affected by the heat and humidity. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez complained of dizziness while playing.
Fifa is likely to schedule World Cup matches involving major European nations after midnight UK time to combat heat concerns.
The World Cup kick-off times are expected to be the same as the Club World Cup, when the first matches kicked off at 5:00 p.m. BST, followed by 8:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. and 02:00 a.m.
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