Mexico City, 11 June 2026 (MIA) - The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins Thursday evening at 9 pm with the opening match Mexico-South Africa. The tournament will run until July 19, when the final is scheduled to be played in New York City.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place in 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams and 1,248 players.

The tournament will include 104 matches, the most ever in World Cup history.

Brazil leads the all-time standings with five titles, followed by Germany and Italy with four each. Argentina has won three championships, while France and Uruguay have two titles each. England and Spain complete the list with one title apiece.

Teams are divided into 12 groups:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia

Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland

Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, and Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan

Group K: Portugal, DRC, Uzbekistan, and Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama

The group stage will be completed by the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

Photo: EPA