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Sep 23At the conclusion of Qatar 2022, attention will soon turn to the 23rd edition of football's greatest competition - the 2026 World Cup.
The world's very best footballing nations will battle it out for a shot at glory with the eyes of the planet on them to determine who will lift the Jules Rimet.
Read on for BTSport.com's complete guide on what to expect from the 2026 World Cup as we answer all the main questions around the upcoming tournament.
Who is hosting the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by three countries for the first time after Canada, Mexico and USA won the bidding process under the United 2026 bid.
The three CONCACAF nations beat out a rival bid from Morocco at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow to secure the hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup.
It'll be the first time the World Cup will be hosted by three countries and the first time since Japan & South Korea 2002 that it will be hosted by more than one.
Mexico has previously hosted two tournaments alone, the USA hosted the 1994 edition and Canada have never previously hosted or co-hosted the tournament.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will return to the traditional dates of June to July after Qatar 2022 was scheduled for the winter to avoid the scorching summer heat in Arabia.
The opening match will take place on June 8 and the final will be on July 3 while kick-off times will be decided once the groups have been draw with four different time zones involved in the competition across Canada, Mexico and USA.
What is the format for the 2026 World Cup?
For the first time in the competition's history, the 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams as it's expanded by 16 teams from the 32 nations who took part in Qatar 2022.
The initial plan was to see all 48 teams divided into 16 groups of 3, with each team playing two matches and the top two in each group advancing to the Round of 32.
That 16-group format would have meant 80 total matches in the tournament but it would have meant two sides playing out the final match with one left watching on - creating an opportunity for collaboration.
However FIFA have reportedly decided to revisit the 16-group plan with FIFA's head of global football, former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, suggesting they won't go ahead with the original plan.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will return to the traditional dates of June to July after Qatar 2022 was scheduled for the winter to avoid the scorching summer heat in Arabia.
The opening match will take place on June 8 and the final will be on July 3 while kick-off times will be decided once the groups have been draw with four different time zones involved in the competition across Canada, Mexico and USA.
Which stadiums will be used for the 2026 World Cup?
Sixteen stadiums across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA will host matches at the 2026 World Cup and those will be separated into three geographical divisions.
The Western Division will feature USA's Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Canada's Vancouver and Guadalajara in Mexico. The Central Division is made up of USA's Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey and Mexican capital Mexico City. The Eastern Division will consist of Toronto, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Miami.
In total, the USA host 11 of the 16 stadiums while Mexico host three and Canada host two - Vancouver's BC Place and Toronto's BMO Field. Mexico City's legendary Estadio Azteca is the largest ground to feature at 87,500.
Where will the 2026 World Cup final be held?
New Jersey's 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium is slated to host the 2026 World Cup final. The venue, located in East Rutherford and five miles west of New York City, serves as the home to both the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League.
Opened 12 years ago in April 2010, the MetLife Stadium cost £1.3billion to build and in the bidding was proposed to have an expanded capacity of 87,157.
