The anticipation is palpable as we edge closer to a grand spectacle that has been three years in the making. The World Cup, football’s most prestigious event, is on the horizon, set to captivate the globe once again in just six short months.

This time, the tournament will unfold across the diverse landscapes of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Millions of passionate fans are expected to descend upon these countries, ready to immerse themselves in the excitement and drama that only a World Cup can deliver.

This edition promises to be the largest in history, with an unprecedented 48 teams competing for the ultimate prize. The grand finale is scheduled for July 19, 2026, at New York’s iconic MetLife Stadium, which boasts a massive capacity of 82,000 seats.

Football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are expected to grace the World Cup stage for what is likely their final appearance, adding an extra layer of intrigue and nostalgia. They will face off against spirited underdog teams like Haiti and Cape Verde, setting the stage for potentially thrilling matchups.

As the excitement builds, Daily Mail Sport is here to address all your burning questions and guide you through what promises to be an unforgettable summer of football.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is pictured with the Jules Rimet trophy ahead of the draw

Where will games be played?  

Much unlike the last World Cup in Qatar, rest assured that this time around all of the host grounds have already been built. 

There are 16 different venues set to host games – 11 in the States, three across the border in Mexico and two in Canada.

Standout stadiums on American soil include the huge MetLife on the east coast, the 75,000 home of the Atlanta Falcons in the south and the Seattle Sounders’ Lumen Field.

Meanwhile the 87,000-capacity Azteca Stadium in Mexico will generate a raucous atmosphere, as will the Rogers Centre in Toronto, which actually boasts a retractable roof. 

But, incredibly, the already confirmed list of venues could still change – if President Donald Trump has anything to do about it. 

The Republican leader has threatened to stop the Democrat-run city of Los Angeles from hosting any fixtures, along with the Boston area. Though no games are actually scheduled to take place in Boston, the New England Patriots’ stadium in Foxborough, around 30 miles away, is set to host seven fixtures. 

‘If we think there’s going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni (Infantino) to move that to a different city,’ Trump said in November. 

FIFA has reiterated that the US government does indeed have the right to determine whether or not a city is safe to host games. 

The Seattle Sounders’ Lumen Field will be one of the stadiums used for the World Cup 

Estadio Azteca in Mexico is another incredible venue playing host to matches next year

When will games be played? 

The tournament will begin on June 11, almost three weeks after the end of the Premier League season on May 24. 

And, luckily for viewers, it will be the longest World Cup in football history thanks to the increase in the number of teams involved. 

The fact there’s 48 different countries competing means the tournament will consist of some 104 games, up from the 64 which were played in 2022. 

Interestingly, the World Cup has actually doubled in size since the last time it took place on American shores when Brazil lifted the trophy back in 1994. 

Back then, just 24 teams competed for football’s most coveted prize. 

The new format, making its debut in North America, will feature 12 four-team groups and, for the first time ever, a Round of 32.  

England fans will be desperate for the side to take the next step under Thomas Tuchel

What time will games be played? 

While kick-off times at next summer’s tournament may not be quite as convenient for Brits as they were in Qatar, they’re not far off. 

It’s thought that start times will mirror those at last summer’s Club World Cup, when games started at 5pm, 8pm, 11pm and 2am. 

In a bonus for Europeans, FIFA are understood to be unlikely to stage any games involving major nations from the continent after midnight in an effort to combat heat issues. 

Last summer’s Club World Cup was indeed beset by issues surrounding the weather, with players forced to play in temperatures reaching nearly 40-degree heat in the most extreme cases. 

How will the draw work?  

The draw will start at 5pm GMT, 12pm local time, at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. 

You can watch the ceremony on FIFA’s website or their YouTube channel. Alternatively, you can watch it on the BBC and BBC iPlayer if you’re in the UK,  Fox and Fubo in the United States, and SBS and SBS On Demand in Australia.

The ceremony is expected to last a few hours, with various speeches and a slightly dubious FIFA Peace Prize presentation. 

Each of the 48 nations will be placed into one of four pots. The co-hosts (the United States, Mexico, and Canada) go into pot one with the nine top teams in the FIFA rankings. 

The 48 teams and placeholders for those still yet to play playoff matches are in the draw

The remaining nations are placed in pot two, three, or four based on their FIFA rankings. We don’t yet know who the six remaining play-off qualifiers are – with the play-offs scheduled to take place at the end of March – but they will be assigned to pot four.

The 48 nations will be split into 12 groups of four teams. A group contains one team from each pot and all of the countries in a group have to be from different confederations (basically continents). The exception is Europe, who can have two teams in one group.

Spain (ranked 1st) and Argentina (2nd) will be placed on opposite sides of the draw to ensure fairness, as will France (3rd) and England (4th). That means England could only meet Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals or France in the final, if all those teams top their groups.

Where will the games be broadcast?

BBC and ITV have once again secured the rights to cover the World Cup next summer across television, audio and digital platforms. 

The two broadcasters will share the rights equally, with the final set to be covered on both television channels. 

The BBC however surprised viewers this week by announcing that it does not plan to send pundits to North America until the quarter-final stage, with coverage of the tournament’s early fixtures filmed at the company’s Salford base.

ITV however will not follow suit and while there has been no official announcement yet, sources have suggested to Daily Mail Sport that it will have a New York-based studio.

BBC Sport presenter Mark Chapman will be among the broadcasters for the tournament 

What’s new? 

We all know that next summer’s World Cup is going to be the biggest ever, but there are also some quite surprising changes being made which you may not yet be aware of. 

For the first time ever, for instance, the tournament’s four top-ranked sides will be kept apart until the semi-finals in a Wimbledon-style seeding system if they all win their respective groups.

This means that Spain, Argentina, France and England – ranked No 1, 2, 3, 4 in the world FIFA rankings – will likely not meet until the semi-finals stage. 

Harry Kane and Co are unlikely to meet Spain, Argentina or France until the semi-finals

There could also be a major change made in terms of VAR for the tournament, with FIFA keen to avoid major errors ruining big games.

The organisation have been pushing for VAR officials to be given the power to intervene if they believe a corner should not have been awarded, though the change is yet to be confirmed. 

Oh, and how we could forget? There are so far four countries making their World Cup debut – Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Cuaracao.