The 2026 World Cup football whistle has started playing. These three countries, Mexico, Canada and the United States, will jointly organize this most prestigious match in the football world. FIFA, the governing body of football, announced the schedule of the World Cup on Sunday (4th February).

The World Cup will begin on June 11. The opening match will be held at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. No stadium has the record of hosting more World Cup matches than this venue. The venue has hosted 17 World Cup matches so far. 5 more matches will be held in 2026 World Cup.

Among which are two World Cup final matches. Pele won Brazil's third World Cup trophy in 1970 at the Azteca Stadium. And in the 1986 World Cup, Argentina won the second World Cup trophy with Maradona's goal.

The World Cup madness will begin in Canada and the United States on June 12. Canada's first World Cup match will be held in Toronto. And the World Cup phase of the United States will start from the Los Angeles Sophie Stadium.

The traditional format of the World Cup is changing from this event. For the first time, 48 countries will play in the World Cup. Knockout phase will start with 32 teams. The number of matches in the World Cup is increasing from 64 to 104. Also, the scope of the World Cup is increasing. Earlier, the World Cup was held in 30 to 32 days, but the next season will end in 39 days.

Group stage games will be played from 11th to 27th June 2026. The last 32 matches will be played from June 29 to July 3.
The last 16 round of games will be played from July 4 to 7. Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston will be the quarter finals. The quarter finals will be held from July 9 to 11. On July 14 and 15, the semi-final matches will be held in Dallas and Atlanta, USA.

And the final will be held in New Jersey. The two teams will face off in the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, the home of football in the United States. 5 matches of the World Cup including the final will be held at MetLife Stadium with a capacity of 82 thousand 500 spectators.