A beginner's guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Know nothing about the FIFA World Cup? Here is the basics that you need to know since the tournament is about to begin
2026 FIFA WORLD CUP
Rebecca Powell
6/10/20262 min read
It is that time again, the FIFA World Cup has finally returned and here at BOASTI we have you covered on everything you need to know about the tournament before it begins.
If you fancy joining FIFA World Cup Fantasy here is our league link https://play.fifa.com/fantasy/join-league/X75YCEZ2
FIFA World Cup Overview
The FIFA World Cup is back, football's largest tournament with the most prestigious prize.
The tournament is 96 years old, making its debut tournament in Uruguay in July 1930. It is held every four years with only two across its history being cancelled (1942 and 1946) due to World War II with play not resuming until the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
This year will be the first time in its history that it will be hosted across three nations (Canada, Mexico and the USA) and will have a new format since the increase from 32 participating teams to 48.
The opening match will take place in Mexico City on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium, with the final in New Jersey in the USA at the MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Format
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has increased its participating nations from 32 to 48, which means it has an increase from 64 matches to 104 matches across the tournament, introducing a new round of 32 within the knockout stage.
This is the new format:
The first stage of the FIFA World Cup is the group stage, which commences on June 11 and runs all the way through until June 27.
In this stage, all teams are randomly allocated one of 12 groups, with each group containing four teams.
Teams will compete against the others in their group and will advance through a league format where teams will earn three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.
The top two teams of each will automatically advance to the round of 32 and the best performing third-place teams will join them.
From the round of 32 onwards, the tournament will follow a knockout format where teams will compete in single elimination matches through to the final.
In these elimination matches, there will be no draws. If a game is a draw at the end of the original 90 minutes, the game will have an additional 30 minutes of play. If at the end of these additional minutes the game is still a draw, then it will proceed to penalties.
Fixtures
Group Stage: Thursday 11 June - Saturday 27 June
Round of 32: Sunday 28 June - Saturday 4 July
Round of 16: Saturday 4 July - Tuesday 7 July
Quarter-finals: Thursday 9 July - Sunday 12 July
Semi-finals: Tuesday 14 July - Wednesday 15 July
Third-place: Saturday 18 July
Final: Sunday 19 July
For a more detailed list of fixtures head to: https://www.boasti.co.uk/2026-fifa-world-cup-fixtures
Groups and Teams
Group A
Mexico
South Korea
Czechia
South Africa
Group B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canada
Qatar
Switzerland
Group C
Brazil
Haiti
Morocco
Scotland
Group D
Australia
Paraguay
Turkiye
USA
Group E
Cote d'Ivoire
Curacao
Ecuador
Germany
Group F
Japan
Netherlands
Sweden
Tunisia
Group G
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand
Group H
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Uruguay
Group I
France
Iraq
Norway
Senegal
Group J
Algeria
Argentina
Austria
Jordan
Group K
Colombia
DR Congo
Portugal
Uzbekistan
Group L
Croatia
England
Ghana
Panama
Host Cities
Canada: Toronto and Vancouver
Mexico: Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle