2026 World Cup at a glance: 48 teams divided into 12 groups, 72 group matches, 32 knockout games, and 3 host countries

Time flies; four years may seem distant, but it passes quickly as the quadrennial World Cup draws nearer. The 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup draw will take place at 1 AM Beijing time on Saturday, December 6. To build excitement for the draw, the official World Cup Twitter shared a poster featuring the FIFA World Cup Trophy and a series of statistics about this tournament.

The 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup draw will occur on December 5 local time, with the tournament kicking off on June 11, 2026, and the final scheduled for July 19, 2026. There are three host nations (the United States, Mexico, and Canada) and a total of 16 host cities.

A total of 48 teams will participate in the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup, split into 12 groups. This will be the largest World Cup in history, featuring seven former champions and four teams qualifying for the first time ever.

The 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup will feature 104 matches in total, including 72 group stage games and 32 knockout stage matches (starting from the round of 16), which is 40 more games than the 2022 World Cup.

Fans joked about this, saying, "Whoever doesn't make it to the World Cup is the one feeling awkward."

FIFA expanded the tournament to include China’s men’s team, but the Chinese team still can’t secure a spot in the competition.

No need to watch the group stage; the official 2026 World Cup matches will begin from the round of 16.