The 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first World Cup Finals of a new era. An expanded competition will feature 48 teams, up from the 32 teams that competed in Qatar in 2022 and with it will come an expanded Group Stage, plus an additional round in the Knockout Phase and will be the most cosmopolitan finals in history.

With far greater representation for teams from Asia, Africa, North America, and Oceania, plus additional places available for teams in Europe and South America, it will be the first World Cup that is hosted by three countries. United States as the main host, with Canada and Mexico as the auxiliary hosts. 

Of course, top betting sites such as bet365 Sport have been offering betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals for a while now, most popularly on the outright winner market. In this market, the top names in world football, France, Brazil, Spain, Germany, England, Italy, Netherlands, and current holders Argentina, are amongst the shorter-priced favourites to win it all. 

Let’s now preview the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals in more detail, giving you a look at some of the key changes that will be in place for this event, a look at the host cities, plus a recap of teams that have already qualified and those who have started or are even yet to start their qualifying campaign. 

We will also update this article regularly as more teams qualify for the finals over the coming months and also when the official squads are announced for the tournament prior to its start date in June 2026.

Our aim? To give you the most detailed, in-depth and accurate build-up and coverage to what will be the biggest and most global World Cup Finals in history!

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2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Key Information

• Hosts – United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
• Starts – June 11th 2026
• Ends – July 19th 2026
• Opening Fixture – 11th June at the Azteca Stadium (Mexico City)
• Final – 19th July at MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey)
• Holders – Argentina

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – World Cup Finals & Top Goalscorers

*indicates extra time (and possibly penalties) was played to decide the winner.

FIFA World Cup Winners & Runners Up Record

Winners

• 5 – Brazil
• 4 – Germany, Italy
• 3 – Argentina
• 2 – France, Uruguay
• 1 – England, Spain

Runners Up

• 4 – Germany
• 3 – Netherlands, Argentina
• 2 – France, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Italy
• 1 – Sweden, Croatia

Hosts & Co-Hosts (including 2026)

• 3 – Mexico
• 2 – Italy, Brazil, France, Germany, United States,
• 1 – Uruguay, Switzerland, Sweden, Chile, England, Argentina, Spain, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Russia, Qatar, Canada

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Key Changes at a Glance

The changes outlined below will be implemented for the first time following the 2022 World Cup Finals in Qatar.

• 48 Teams Qualifying for the Finals (as opposed to 32). 

The biggest change sees the number of teams qualifying for the finals increasing from 32 to 48, an extra 16 teams. The majority of these additional teams will come from African, Asian, North and Central America and Oceania. 

Each FIFA Confederation will host its own qualifying campaign (many of which are well underway, some near to being completed). Additionally, one team from each confederation (apart from UEFA) will be awarded a place in the Confederations World Cup Playoffs with CONCACAF awarded an additional spot, which will decide the final two spots in the finals after the main qualification campaign has been completed.

• 3 Host Nations (USA, Mexico & Canada)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals will be the first with three hosts. The United States are the designated main hosts and will feature most of the games, with Mexico and Canada deemed auxiliary hosts. 

Each of these teams will play their group fixtures in their home country. Mexico have been seeded into Group A, Canada into Group B and the United States into Group D in order to facilitate this. 

• Group Stage – 12 Groups of 4 teams (As opposed to 8 groups of 4 teams)

The Group Stage has been a bone of contention for a while. Originally, FIFA had decided to go with a 16-group format, with three teams in each group. However, after discussions with the different confederations, especially those who felt travelling all the way to North or Central America to play just two games was a little unfair, FIFA has changed back to a four-team group stage, but with 12 groups instead of 16.

This means that the top two teams in each group will qualify for the Round of 32 (24) with the final eight teams being the eight best third-place teams from the Group Stage with the best record. 

• Knockout Stage – Begins with a Round of 32 (As opposed to a Round of 16)

An expanded group stage will then lead on to an expanded knockout phase. With 32 teams qualifying for the knockout phase (as opposed to 16 in 2022), there will be one additional round of matches, a Round of 32.

This will be followed by a Round of 16, then the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final. 

The knockout phase is pre-drawn, so teams that finish first, second, or even third in a group can map their route to the final.

This means that the total number of matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals will increase from 48 Group Stage Games and 16 knockout phase games (64 games in total) to, 72 Group Stage games, plus 32 Knockout Phase games (104 games in total). 

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Host Venues

The following cities and stadia will be used for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals.

United States

• New York – MetLife Stadium (82,500)
• Dallas – AT&T Stadium (80,000)
• Kansas City – Arrowhead Stadium (76,416)
• Houston – NRG Stadium (72,200)
• Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000)
• Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium (70,240)
• Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field (69,796)
• Seattle – Lumen Field (69,000)
• San Francisco – Levis Stadium (68,500)
• Boston – Gillette Stadium (65,878)
• Miami – Hard Rock Stadium (64,767)

Canada

• Vancouver – BC Place (54,500)
• Toronto – BMO Field (28,180)

Mexico

• Mexico City – Estadio Azteca (87,523)
• Monterrey – Estadio BBVA (53,500)
• Guadalajara – Estadio Akron (49,850)

Each of the 16 stadia will host Group Stage matches, as well as one Round of 32 tie. The final will be held at the MetLife Stadium on July 19th 2025. 

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Qualified

A small number of teams have already qualified for the tournament. They include:

• Hosts (3/3) – United States, Canada & Mexico
• Asia (2/8) – Iran, Japan 
• Oceania (1/1) – New Zealand
• South America (1/6) – Argentina
• North & Central America (0/3) –
• Europe (0/16) –
• Africa (0/9) –
• Confederation Playoff Winners (0/2) –

Over the coming months, throughout the remainder of 2025 and up to March 2026, the remaining 41 teams that qualify for the tournament will be confirmed through their Confederation own qualifying campaign, or the Confederation Playoffs. 

As teams earn qualification to the tournament, this list will be updated.

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – How The 48 Qualifiers Will Be Comprised

The number of teams from each confederation, plus the three hosts, that will qualify direct for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals are outlined below. Teams in brackets have qualified from that confederation. 

• Oceania – 1 – (New Zealand)
• Asia – 8 – (Japan, Iraq)
• Africa – 9 – (None)
• Europe – 16 – (None)
• South America – 6 – (Argentina)
• North & Central America – 6 – (USA, Canada & Mexico as hosts, + 3 more)
• Total – 46 Qualifiers.

The remaining two qualifiers will come from the six-team Confederation Playoffs held in March 2026. This will feature the best teams that did not qualify from North & Central America (2 teams), South America (1 team), Oceania (1 team), Africa (1 team) and Asia (1 team). 

Teams will be seeded based on their FIFA World Rankings, with the top two seeds seeded into one of the two playoff finals. The remaining four teams will play a one-off elimination match to decide who progresses into the final. The winners of the two Playoff Finals will claim the last two places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals. 

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Broadcasting Rights

The FIFA World Cup Finals are designated as one of the culturally significant sporting events in the UK and as such, coverage is available on free-to-air TV via both the ITV and BBC Sports Channels and online streaming services. 

All games will be shown live although which channels each game is on will not be decided until much closer to the start of the finals. 

Check back here closer to kick off for all the details of each game live!

2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – Latest Betting Odds – Outright Winner

The current odds for the top teams (100/1 or better) are shown below. Prices available at bet365 Sport on the date shown below. Odds will be updated regularly over the coming months.

• Brazil, France and Spain – 6/1 j-favs
• England – 7/1
• Argentina – 8/1
• Germany – 10/1
• Portugal – 14/1
• Italy, Netherlands – 20/1
• Belgium, Uruguay – 33/1
• Colombia – 40/1
• USA – 50/1
• Croatia, Denmark, Mexico, Norway – 66/1
• 100/1 bar

Odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of 11th May 2025, but may have changed since.

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group Stage Draw

This section will be updated once all 48 qualifiers are known and the draw for the Group Stage of the tournament has been made.

• Group A – Mexico, A2, A3, A4
• Group B – Canada, B2, B3, B4
• Group C – C1, C2, C3, C4
• Group D – United States, D2, D3, D4
• Group E – E1, E2, E3, E4
• Group F – F1, F2, F3, F4
• Group G – G1, G2, G3, G4
• Group H – H1, H2, H3, H4
• Group I – I1, I2, I3, I4
• Group J – J1, J2, J3, J4
• Group K – K1, K2, K3, K4
• Group L – L1, L2, L3, L4

Famous Faces You Can Expect To See At The 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals

Outlined below are some of the players who will likely be called into their respective international squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals, barring injury or suspension or similar.

This list will be updated as more teams qualify and the final squads for the tournament will be updated once confirmed.

United States

• Head Coach – Mauricio Pochettino
• Goalkeepers – Matt Turner (Crystal Palace), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids)
• Defenders – Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
• Midfielders – Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Gio Reyna (Dortmund), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Milan), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds)
• Attackers – Christian Pulisic (Milan), Josh Sargeant (Norwich), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Haji Wright (Coventry City)

Mexico

• Head Coach – Javier Aguirre
• Goalkeepers – Guillermo Ochoa (AVS)
• Defenders – Johan Vasquez (Genoa), Cesar Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Jesus Gallardo (Toluca), Israel Reyes (Club America)
• Midfielders – Edson Alvarez (West Ham), Luis Romo (Guadalajara), Carlos Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens), Luis Chavez (Dynamo Moscow)
• Attackers – Raul Jimenez (Fulham), Santiago Gimenez (Milan), Alexis Vega (Toluca), Hirving Lozano (San Diego)

Canada

• Head Coach – Jesse Marsch
• Goalkeepers – Maxime Crepeau (Portland Timbers)
• Defenders – Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Alistair Johnson (Celtic), Derek Cornelius (Marseille), Moise Bombito (Nice), Richie Laryea (Toronto)
• Midfielders – Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto), Ismael Kone (Rennes), Tajon Buchanon (Villarreal), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto), Junior Hoilett (Hibs), Samuel Piette (Montreal)
• Attackers – Jonathan David (Lille), Cyle Larin (Real Mallorca), Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth), Liam Millar (Hull City)

Japan

• Head Coach – Hajime Moriyasu
• Goalkeepers – Zion Suzuki (Parma)
• Defenders – Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton), Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich)
• Midfielders – Watraru Endo (Liverpool), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Ritsu Doan (SC Freiburg), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Junya Ito (Reims), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Reo Hatate (Celtic), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
• Attackers – Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Kyogo Furuhashi (Rennes), Daizen Maeda (Celtic)

Iran

• Head Coach – Amir Ghanlenoei
• Goalkeepers – Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor)
• Defenders – Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Persepolis), Shojae Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Mohammed Ghorbani (Al Wahda)
• Midfielders – Saeid Ezaatolahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Heerenveen), Mehdi Ghayedi (Ittihad Kalba), Ali Gholizadeh (Lech Poznan), Saman Ghoddos (Ittihad Kalba))
• Attackers – Mehdi Taremi (Inter), Sardar Azmoun (Shabab Al Ahli)

New Zealand

• Head Coach – Darren Bazeley
• Goalkeepers – Max Crocombe (Burton Albion)
• Defenders – Tommy Smith (Auckland FC), Liberato Cacace (Empoli), Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix), Tyler Bindon (Reading)
• Midfielders – Elijah Jusr (St. Polten), Matthew Garbett (NAC Breda), Marko Stamenic (Olympiacos), Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg), Joe Bell (Viking)
• Attackers – Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix), Ben Waine (Mansfield Town)

Argentina

• Head Coach – Lionel Scaloni
• Goalkeepers -Emi Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille)
• Defenders – Lisandro Martinez (Man Utd), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), German Pezzala (River Plate), Cristiano Romero (Tottenham), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Marcos Acuna (River Plate)
• Midfielders – Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Carlos Mac Allister (Liverpool), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
• Attackers – Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd)

(More teams and players will be added to this list when qualification is confirmed)

Check back to this page throughout the coming months for all the latest World Cup news and action as we bring you details of every team that qualifies for next summer’s massive showpiece event!

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