There are plenty of reasons to get excited for the FIFA World Cup next year. The 2026 World Cup will include the most teams ever, with 48 qualifying to compete across the five and a half week tournament. The increased number of teams also means more games with one hundred and four matches taking place throughout the tournament.
Another first comes in the form of having three host countries, the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, with Canada hosting the World Cup for the first time. The final will be held in New York at the iconic New York Giants stadium, MetLife, and see the first ever half-time show at a World Cup. The 2026 World Cup promises to be unique and full of firsts.
Let’s look at some of the reasons to get excited!
When and Where Is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Argentina triumphed, saw all matches played within an hour drive of each other. The 2026 World Cup, however, will take place across sixteen cities throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico. Teams will play across a five and a half week period beginning on the 11th of June 2026 with the final being held in New York on the 19th of July.
As the tournament hosts more teams than ever, the competition will be even more compact. Games will be coming thick and fast with the new format meaning 104 games will be played over the five and a half weeks. The stadiums will also be new with only the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City being used in a previous World Cup, hosting the final in 1986.
What Makes the 2026 World Cup So Exciting?
There are a number of reasons the 2026 World Cup promises to be one of the best to date. Changes to the format mean more teams, including lesser known sides, will have an opportunity to lift the Cup. As well as more teams, there are forty more matches within the five and a half week tournament to look forward to. Alongside the football, there will also be performances from international artists at the very first World Cup half-time show.
More Teams
Although only four teams have qualified so far, a total of 48 teams will compete at next year’s World Cup, 16 more than the previous tournament. FIFA hopes the increased number of teams will have nations from across the world progress further. In the last three world cups, 92% of teams that reached the quarter-finals were European or South American. In order to combat this bias, up to ten spots will be reserved for African and up to nine for Asian teams who pass continental and inter-continental qualifiers.
FIFA hopes greater continental inclusion will result in more ‘feel-good’ stories of triumphing underdogs. One story they alluded to was Costa Rica’s 2014 campaign which saw them finish in the top eight teams and conceding the least goals of all nations. Just months before the competition started, they were expected to finish last and ranked 32nd in the FIFA rankings.
Due to the increased number of teams, many countries who don’t usually qualify for the competition will be able to compete. Already, unexpected teams have begun to qualify, like New Zealand who last competed in a World Cup sixteen years ago. New Zealand’s team the All Whites qualified for the first time in sixteen years by beating New Caledonia 3-0.
With next year’s tournament featuring more underdogs than ever, sports betting fans have an exciting opportunity ahead. For example, during the 2018 World Cup, betting companies in the UK saw astonishing 2 million new accounts opened. For those looking to enhance their enjoyment of the World Cup and back the All Whites, BetKiwi is a great resource. They have established themselves as experts in the sports betting field, producing honest reviews of sports betting sites that take over twelve hours to craft. Using decades of industry experience, BetKiwi’s sports betting experts give the most helpful insights to help players find the best offers.
More Games
The 2026 World Cup will see more games than ever before with 104 matches being played over the five and a half week tournament. The 48 qualifying teams will be divided into twelve groups of four teams. These teams will then play off against each other in a league-based format. The top two teams in each group will then progress to the next round, along with the eight top-performing third-placed teams.
This format means that every day of the opening round will see an incredible four matches played and there will be an additional knockout game after the league stage. The victorious team at the 2026 World Cup will have played eight, rather than seven games.
It’s also estimated that the greater number of matches will result in a 20% increase in income due to more marketing space and ticket sales. The income generated from the World Cup is reinvested into football projects throughout the world, while boosting the host’s local economy.
More Fans
Throughout the world, there are over five billion football fans. There’s no denying that football is the most popular sport across the globe. However, one area where it hasn’t grown to its full potential is North America. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the number of Americans who considered themselves fans of football increased 400% with over 45% of these being women.
FIFA hopes that by acting as hosts for 78 of the 104 games, the football market can further penetrate the USA and appeal to these new fans. The greater number of games will also give fans more opportunities to get tickets to matches with tickets expected to be available from as little as $15.
As hosts, the USA gets a guaranteed place within the tournament. American fans will have the opportunity to watch their national team on home soil for the first time in over thirty years. Expectations for the USA’s team are high; they have the tenth best odds of winning the tournament and during their last appearance they made it to the Round of Sixteen. As the 2026 World Cup is being hosted in the USA, it will offer a great opportunity for new fans to get involved in the sport.
More Entertainment
Just like in the USA’s most popular sporting final, the Super Bowl, the 2026 World Cup will have a half-time show. The most recent Super Bowl saw Kendrick Lamar’s headline act attract record numbers with over 133.5 million views. The World Cup half-time show will see acts performing in the MetLife stadium and across New York, including in Times Square. Coldplay is helping FIFA to draw up a list of artists to perform.
Although timings remain unconfirmed, half-time breaks in football generally take fifteen minutes, which would be the slot for the performance. Alongside musical artists, the performance will highlight work by FIFA’s partners, such as the anti-poverty charity Global Citizen. The bronze final match will also feature performances from international artists. FIFA is looking to take over the Times Square area of New York for the finals weekend with a fan festival.
The fan fest will also take place in New Jersey’s Liberty State Park throughout all 104 matches. Here, fans will be able to gather together to watch the competition on a specially installed screen. It is hoped that the programme of proposed activities will engage communities across the USA and encourage new fans of the sport.
More Business
Tourism will see a huge boost as football fans flock to the tournament from all over the world. Worldwide tourists will stimulate the local economy by spending across hospitality services, such as hotels and restaurants. Globally, the revenue generated by the World Cup is invested across football projects all over the world.
Get Excited for the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup promises more. An increased number of matches and teams heightens the sense of competition with over one hundred games packed in across the five and a half weeks. There will also be a greater variety of teams in terms of continents, meaning more surprise results and interesting fixtures. The inclusion of lower ranked teams will also offer a great opportunity for those looking to enhance their experience through betting via sites like BetKiwi. Outside of football, there is sure to be even more entertainment through the new half-time show and fan fest. Overall, excitement for the 2026 World Cup is building as the unique format and extra entertainment performances are set to make it memorable.
