The 2026 World Cup has arrived. Mexico and South Africa will kick off the tournament on Thursday afternoon following Mexico's opening ceremony.

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has opened the door to a 64-team World Cup in 2030. Infantino, who wants to be re-elected for a final term as head of the world game next year, has come under global

The 2026 World Cup expands to 48 teams across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, featuring new group stage tiebreakers and a Round of 32 knockout format.

Thirty-two teams made it out of the group stage and into the knockout round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups and the top eight third-place teams will compete for the championship over the next three weeks.

Argentina's Julian Alvarez controls the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers against Uruguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, on March 21, 2025. On the ball, Alvarez creates and scores.

The quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup feature four winner-takes-all matches, continuing the knockout format from the earlier rounds.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are set, and we broke down each matchup from best to worst in the latest power rankings.

When FIFA announced the 2026 World Cup would expand to 48 teams, the immediate reaction from many quarters was scepticism. The primary concern was that the group stages would become a chore to watch