2026 WORLD CUP: 6 things you need to know

What they play for: The FIFA World Cup Trophy – Image: Infinity News Collective/imageBROKER/picture alliance

The 2026 World Cup is to be bigger than all of its predecessors. Whether it will be better is an entirely different question. DW fills you in on what you need to know.

1. Three World Cup hosts with strained ties

This World Cup will be the first to be hosted by three countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico – as opposed to the usual single nation. 2002 was an exception, when Japan and South Korea broke new ground by sharing the hosting duties. This year’s cohosts have usually enjoyed good relations, but these have become more difficult since US President Donald Trump began his second term in office. His threats to annex Canada as the “51st” US state and punitive tariffs have soured the mood between two historically close allies. US ties with Mexico have been strained over several issues including their shared border and Trump threatening, tacitly at least, to use military force to combat drug cartels operating in Mexico.

2. More teams, more games

Forty-eight teams taking part means many more games, a total of 104 compared to 64 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when only 32 nations were involved. The opening match will be between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11.

There will be 12 groups of four teams, compared to eight four years ago. The top two teams from each of the groups plus the best eight third-placed teams advance to the round of 32. This extra knockout round has been introduced to help whittle down the number of teams on the way to the final in New Jersey on July 19.

More teams meant more opportunities for nations to make it to World Cup for the first time. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will all be making their debuts, which is great news for their fans, but critics worry that the increased number of teams could result in a drop in the overall quality of play.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first co-hosted by three countries – Image: Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/picture alliance

3. Mandatory hydration breaks

While hydration breaks are not new to football, FIFA has announced that all World Cup matches will feature two such breaks approximately 22 minutes into each half — regardless of the weather conditions.

Previously, referees were required to call cooling breaks 30 minutes into each half when the temperature at kickoff exceeded 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit). The change comes amid concerns about high temperatures expected in some of the host cities, as was the case at last summer’s Club World Cup in the US.

Conveniently for broadcasters, FIFA has confirmed that they will be allowed to cut away from matches to air commercials during these 3-minute breaks. This overcomes a problem that vexed US broadcasters during the 1994 World Cup and effectively breaks matches up into quarters – just like in two of the more popular televised sports in the United States, basketball and American football.

At last year’s Club World Cup, hydration breaks only occurred during games played at high temperatures – Image: Marco Bader/HMB-Media/IMAGO

4. World Cup human rights concerns

A report released by Amnesty International in March warned that the World Cup poses “significant risks and impacts for fans players, journalists, workers and local communities alike.” The report is hardest on the USA, which is to host the vast majority of matches. It describes the situation there as a “human rights emergency” and points to what it calls a “recognizable pattern of authoritarian practices” in the country. It expresses particular concern about the conduct of ICE immigration agents deployed to some states.

Amnesty noted, among other things, that Mexico has mobilized 100,000 security personnel, including the military, in response to high levels of violence in the country.

As for Canada, the report cited fears that homeless people could be further marginalized, particularly in host cities Vancouver and Toronto, as well as restrictions imposed on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Amnesty International criticized the actions of ICE agents in Minnesota – Image: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu/picture alliance

5. High costs of travel, tickets

The distances involved make travel expensive even for North America-based fans. Farthest apart among the venues are Vancouver and Miami – 4,507 kilometers (2,800 miles). If a Germany fan, for example, wanted to follow their team they would stand to rack up 2,619 kilometers to travel from Houston to Toronto to New Jersey for the group-stage matches alone.

Ticket prices are such a bone of contention that the fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has filed a lawsuit against FIFA with the European Commission over “excessive ticket prices” for games. The top tickets for the USA’s opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles were listed at $4,105 (€3,499) while for some less-in-demand games the cheapest seats were listed at $380.

FIFA’s own resale website, FIFA Marketplace, recently advertised tickets to the final at a cost of more than $2 million each.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino stands by the pricing, pointing to a low number of less expensive tickets made available to loyal national team fans through their federations. Speaking in Los Angeles, Infantino noted that the high prices simply reflected demand in an expensive market.

“And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience,” he promised.

6. The Iran question

Iran has qualified for a seventh World Cup but it seemed a difficult proposition from the start. Iran is one of four qualified countries whose citizens are facing complete or partial bans from traveling to the United States, where all its group games are to be played. Under Trump’s executive order, the teams, their coaches and support staff are exempt, but this doesn’t appear to apply to Iranian FA officials.

Earlier this year, the United States and Israel started a  war against Iran , and the Iranian FA threatened to “boycott” its matches in the US. Trump later said that “for their own life and safety” it wouldn’t be appropriate for Iran to be there. Now Mexico has agreed to an arrangement in which the team is to be based there, only traveling across the border for its two matches in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle.

DW.com/NAN 05-06-26

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