The World Cup is kicking off in North America, and fans are in a rush to catch the action. With 48 teams, there’s a lot to keep up with. This year’s tournament — which is hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — will be played in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.
Mexico gets the World Cup started Thursday and will be a heavy favorite when it hosts South Africa in Mexico City. The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A. Boosted by a home crowd and a star-studded opening ceremony with performances that include Andrea Bocelli and homegrown talent like Alejandro Fernández and Maná, Mexico hopes to play better in this World Cup than in 2022, when it failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1978. El Tri will be led by veteran Raúl Jiménez and 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be competing in the World Cup for a record sixth time. South Africa is playing in its fourth World Cup and first since it hosted the tournament in 2010.
As Mexico City opens the tournament amid an electric atmosphere, that same excitement is being felt hundreds of miles away in North Texas. NBC 5’s Candace Sweat visited Oak Cliff, where support for Mexico’s national soccer team, known as El Tri, runs deep.
South Korea is one of the best teams in Asia and has qualified for 11 consecutive tournaments since 1986. The Koreans reached the round of 16 in 2022 before losing to Brazil. Son Hueng-min, 33, is the captain and might be playing in his last World Cup. The Czech Republic, which is based out of Mansfield for training, is back in soccer’s biggest showcase for the first time in 20 years.
The games in Mexico will be played at high elevation. The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City is at roughly 7,300 feet while Guadalajara sits at 5,138 feet, meaning visiting teams will have to make a significant adjustment to the altitude.
Canada and the United States will host their first games on Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California.
World Cup sticker shock with sky-high prices
FIFA has faced pressure for sky-high World Cup ticket prices and sales tactics that fans say left them with worse deals than they wanted.
The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which are hosting eight World Cup matches, including the final, announced last month that they are investigating whether FIFA’s ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws – Texas is holding a similar investigation.
Attorney General Ken Paxton opened the inquiry after receiving consumer complaints about FIFA’s ticketing practices ahead of the tournament’s Texas matches.
Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.
In the U.S., bipartisan skepticism of Infantino, FIFA
In the deeply polarized U.S., few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like skepticism of Gianni Infantino and FIFA, the governing body for the world’s most popular sport.
It’s a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.
There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who’ve balked at ticket prices. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, said FIFA has been “detached from regular people around the world.”
From timing to groups, host cities, and more, here’s your guide to tracking the World Cup.
What time do World Cup games typically start?
Matches generally start between 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET. The games span multiple time zones.
Which cities are hosting the World Cup in 2026?
With World Cup matches taking place in stadiums across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, host cities and match locations are:
United States
Inglewood, California: SoFi Stadium
Santa Clara, California: Levi’s Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey: MetLife Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts: Gillette Stadium
Houston: NRG Stadium
Arlington, Texas: AT&T Stadium
For the first time, we’re getting a look at the transformation of AT&T Stadium into Dallas Stadium as preparations ramp up for Sunday’s opening match. NBC 5’s Pat Doney got an exclusive sneak peek at the changes and what fans can expect when the first match kicks off this weekend.
Philadelphia: Lincoln Financial Field
Atlanta: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Seattle: Lumen Field
Miami: Hard Rock Stadium
Kansas City, Missouri: Arrowhead Stadium
Canada
Toronto: BMO Field
Vancouver, British Columbia: BC Place
Mexico
Mexico City: Estadio Azteca
Zapopan, Jalisco: Estadio Akron
Guadalupe, Zacatecas: Estadio BBVA
Which teams are in the FIFA World Cup 2026 groups?
The World Cup includes 48 countries from the start. Only 32 will advance past the group round. These are the countries that will compete in the group stage:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Czechia, South Korea
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Haiti, Morocco, Scotland, Brazil
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia, Japan
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal
Group J: Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Argentina
Group K: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Portugal
Group L: England, Ghana, Croatia, Panama
Apple TV MLS analyst Taylor Twellman breaks down the USMNT’s path through Group D at the FIFA World Cup and what success should realistically look like on home soil.
How are teams eliminated from the group stage?
Each team will need to finish either in its group’s top two or rank in the top eight third-place teams to advance to the round of 32. Teams that place fourth in their group will not advance. The round of 32 will kick off June 28.
Stats of the day
Only eight countries have won the World Cup, with six of those teams winning multiple titles, led by Brazil’s five. The only first-time winners in the last 11 Cups came in 1998, when France won the first of its two titles, and in 2010 with Spain.
There have been six defending champions who failed to make it out of the group stage, including in three of the last four editions. France made it back to the final in 2022, but Italy (2010), Spain (2014), and Germany (2018) all got eliminated before the knockout rounds.
South Korea’s Son is one of the most accomplished players in the national team’s history. His 144 caps rank first, while he needs just two goals to match Cha Bum-kun’s career record of 58.
At just 17 years old, Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is the youngest player among the rosters of the 48 teams playing at the tournament. He could become the second-youngest player to score a goal in World Cup history behind Brazil legend Pelé, who was 17 years, 239 days old when he scored in 1958. Here’s a look at some of the up-and-coming teenagers in this year’s tournament.