Being only a few days out, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) will introduce a newly expanded tournament that will feature 48 participating countries, leaving behind the tournament’s previous 32-nation format competition introduced in France ‘98.
FIFA officials have recognized that the game of football has become a global phenomenon, and this is the first time in the history of the tournament that three nations will host, including Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
Mexico remains the only nation to have hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1970 and again in 1986. The 2026 edition will mark a historic third time.
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City has staged the world’s greatest football legends such as Pelé who’s known as The King. He lifted the title in 1970 with Brazil displaying jogo bonito, which characterizes Brazilian soccer, and Diego Armando Maradona who took the “Albiceleste,” Argentina’s national team, to glory in 1986 on Aztec soil.
FIFA will determine the fate of the 48 participating countries by placing each nation into one of four seeded pots.
As for the host nations, they are automatically placed in Pot 1 alongside FIFA’s highest-ranked teams.
Pot 1 will include football powerhouses like Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium.
Pot 2 will include Croatia, Morrocco, Colombia, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Austria, Australia, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador and two-time world champion Uruguay.
Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and first-time tournament participant Uzbekistan.
Pot 4 will include Jordan, Ghana, Haiti, New Zealand and debutant countries Curacao and Cape Verde, with six positions remaining to be settled in the playoff round of eliminations for the final seeds. All remaining matches will be held in March.
As for the U.S., the men’s national team’s opening match will be held at SoFi Stadium on June 12, 2026.
SoFi stadium will host eight matches throughout the tournament, including a few group stage matches and three knockout games, one of which is set to be a quarterfinal.
One of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles is only six months away. Fans can tune in on Fox and Telemundo this Friday as coverage of the FIFA World Cup draw takes place at 9 a.m. PST.
The official draw will be held on Dec. 5, 2026, from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
