USA, Canada and Mexico ready for the 2026 World Cup

(AFP) In just over a year, the biggest and most ambitious World Cup in history will kick off, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico set to host the biggest spectacle in global football.

Forty-eight teams and millions of fans will gather in North America for the first-ever World Cup shared by three nations, which will kick off on June 11, 2026.

In theory, the 23rd edition of the planet's most popular sporting spectacle has all the markings of a success.

A range of venues, from Mexico's iconic Azteca Stadium to Los Angeles' glittering $5 billion SoFi Stadium, will host 104 games in nearly six weeks.

The United States will host the most games (78), while Canada and Mexico will host 13 each.

All matches from the quarterfinals onward will be played in the United States, with the tournament concluding on July 19, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (New Jersey). The venue has a capacity of 82,500 spectators.

"Like 104 Super Bowls"

U.S. officials believe the return of the World Cup to their territory—32 years after the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup—could represent a watershed moment for soccer in the country.

"The World Cup is going to draw attention to the sport in a way that no one had dreamed of," said Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS).

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has touted the tournament as the equivalent of "104 Super Bowls," comparing the World Cup's estimated six billion viewers to the roughly 120 million who tune in to the NFL's big event.

The 48 teams—up from 32 from France 1998 to Qatar 2022—will be divided into 12 groups of four. The top two in each zone and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16, where the knockout rounds will begin.