The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest sporting event on the planet, with a record number of teams, matches, and host cities, and global TV audiences expected to run into the billions over the course of the tournament.
But how did it all begin, where is the 2026 edition being played, and which nations are fancied to lift the trophy?
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was created in 1904, and its creation planted the seed for what eventually became the World Cup.
From the start, FIFA reserved the right to organise a truly global competition and even experimented with the idea as early as 1906.
It wasn’t until after World War I that FIFA took over the administration of the Olympic Games football tournaments, and that proved to be the real turning point.
The 1924 Olympic football tournament in Paris was a huge success and shocked many European fans, who were surprised by the quality of teams from South America, particularly Uruguay. That success made the idea of a standalone world championship impossible to ignore.
Less than thirty years after FIFA’s formation, the first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930. The tournament was championed by Jules Rimet, a French lawyer and businessman who served as FIFA president from 1921 to 1954 and believed in football as a global, unifying competition open to all nations.
Inspired by what he had witnessed at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Rimet pushed for a truly international professional tournament, and the World Cup was born.
Where Is The 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup is being hosted by three North American countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This is the first time in history that the tournament has been jointly hosted by three nations, and it is also the first time Canada has hosted a men’s World Cup, adding a new chapter to the competition’s story.
The tournament will run from 11 June to 19 July 2026, returning the World Cup to its traditional summer window after the winter edition in Qatar in 2022.
Matches will be spread across 16 host cities in total, with 11 in the USA, three in Mexico, and two in Canada, making it the most geographically expansive World Cup ever staged.
The full list of host cities includes major football and sporting hubs such as New York–New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Vancouver, and Toronto, among others.
With huge stadiums, modern infrastructure, and passionate fan bases across three countries, everything is set up for a tournament on an unprecedented scale.
Crucially, the 2026 edition will also be the first to feature 48 teams instead of the traditional 32, making it the largest expansion the World Cup has ever seen.
World Cup 2026 Odds
| Betfred Odds applicable as of 11/06/2026- FIFA World Cup 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 9/2 | France | 5/1 | England | 15/2 |
| Brazil | 8/1 | Portugal | 8/1 | Argentina | 9/1 |
| Germany | 14/1 | Netherlands | 20/1 | Norway | 28/1 |
| Belgium | 33/1 | Colombia | 33/1 | USA | 50/1 |
| Japan | 50/1 | Morroco | 50/1 | Uruguay | 66/1 |
| Mexico | 66/1 | Switzerland | 66/1 | Croatia | 80/1 |
Outright odds have shifted considerably since the qualification period ended, as squads have evolved and managers have changed.
Most major bookmakers now have Spain and France installed as narrow favourites, with England, Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal forming the core of the chasing pack.
For example, leading firms and odds comparison sites currently show Spain and France trading at around 5/1 and 11/2 respectively, with England commonly available in the 13/2 to 8/1 range depending on the bookmaker.
Defending champions Argentina and traditional powerhouse Brazil are generally priced a little bigger than in previous cycles, often around 9/1–10/1, reflecting the growing strength and depth of European contenders.
Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium all sit in the next band of contenders, with prices stretching out from low double‑figures through to 40/1 and beyond.
The expanded format and increased number of knock‑out matches introduce more variables and potential upsets, which is something you need to factor in when assessing outright prices.
More matches mean more opportunities for slip‑ups, but they also give deeper squads the chance to recover from setbacks, so balance and bench strength are likely to matter as much as star quality in 2026.
If you’re looking to back a team, it’s worth comparing outright markets across several bookmakers or using a dedicated World Cup odds comparison page to make sure you’re getting the best available price for your selection.
New Format: 48 Teams, 104 Matches
The expansion to 48 teams is more than just a bigger field; it fundamentally changes how the tournament works. Rather than the old eight groups of four, the 2026 World Cup will use 12 groups of four teams.
From those 12 groups, the top two teams in each group will progress, along with the eight best third‑placed sides, giving a 32‑team knockout phase.
That means more knockout football, more jeopardy, and more opportunities for surprise runs from emerging nations.
In total, 104 matches will be played across the tournament, up from 64 in the 32‑team format used from 1998 to 2022.
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Teams that go all the way to the final will play eight matches rather than seven, which raises interesting questions around squad depth, rotation, and fatigue.
The new qualification allocation has also opened the door for more countries from Africa, Asia, and North America to participate, making the 2026 edition one of the most globally diverse World Cups ever staged.
As co‑hosts, Canada, Mexico, and the USA automatically qualify and occupy three of the CONCACAF slots.
In Which Stadium Will The 2026 World Cup Final Be Held?
The 2026 World Cup final will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the United States.
MetLife is already well known as the home of NFL franchises the New York Giants and New York Jets, with a seating capacity of over 80,000 and a long history of hosting major sporting and entertainment events.
FIFA confirmed New York–New Jersey as the final host when it released the full match schedule in early 2024, selecting MetLife ahead of several other iconic American venues in the running.
The 2026 World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday 19 July 2026, with a 3 p.m. Eastern Time kick‑off (8pm in the UK), timed to hit prime viewing hours in both the Americas and Europe.
MetLife will host multiple games throughout the tournament, but the final will be the showpiece occasion, deciding who lifts the trophy at the end of this expanded, cross‑continental World Cup.
What Country Won The First FIFA World Cup?
The first FIFA World Cup was won by the national team of Uruguay. The tournament took place in 1930 in Uruguay's capital city, Montevideo. Thirteen teams from around the world participated in the competition.
Uruguay won the tournament by defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final match, which was held on July 30, 1930.
The match took place at the Estadio Centenario, a newly built stadium in Montevideo. The atmosphere was electric, with an estimated crowd of 93,000 spectators witnessing the historic event.
The final itself was a closely contested match. Argentina took an early lead with a goal from Carlos Peucelle, but Uruguay quickly equalised through Pedro Cea. The score remained 1-1 at halftime.
In the second half, Uruguay's Victoriano Iriarte scored the go-ahead goal, and Hector Castro extended their lead shortly after.
Argentina managed to pull one back through Guillermo Stábile, but it wasn't enough to catch up. Uruguay sealed their victory with a fourth goal from Santos Iriarte, securing a 4-2 win.
Uruguay's triumph in the first World Cup was a significant achievement for the host nation. It showcased their footballing prowess and marked the beginning of a storied football history for Uruguay.
All The World Cup Winners
World War II interrupted the World Cup, with the 1942 and 1946 tournaments being cancelled.
However, afterward, the UK rejoined FIFA, and the Home Championship was used as a qualifying round. That resulted in England going through to the 1950 competition in Brazil.
It was England’s first time playing in the tournament, but they lost to a USA team called the ‘Ellis Island Team’ because of their high numbers of immigrant players. England lost again to Spain, who progressed to the final round, but Uruguay won the World Cup again!
England did, of course, go on to win the World Cup in 1966. They beat West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley, with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick.
Since then, England has never been to a World Cup final. The closest they got was the Semi-Finals in 2018. Other than England, here is every country that has won a World Cup.
World Cup Winners 1930 – 2022
- 1930 – Uruguay | Score: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
- 1934 – Italy | Score: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia
- 1938 – Italy | Score: Italy 4-2 Hungary
- 1950 – Uruguay | Score: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil
- 1954 – West Germany | Score: West Germany 3-2 Hungary
- 1958 – Brazil | Score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden
- 1962 – Brazil | Score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia
- 1966 – England | Score: England 4-2 (after extra time) West Germany
- 1970 – Brazil | Score: Brazil 4-1 Italy
- 1974 – West Germany | Score: West Germany 2-1 Netherlands
- 1978 – Argentina | Score: Argentina 3-1 (after extra time) Netherlands
- 1982 – Italy | Score: Italy 3-1 West Germany
- 1986 – Argentina | Score: Argentina 3-2 West Germany
- 1990 – West Germany | Score: West Germany 1-0 Argentina
- 1994 – Brazil | Score: Brazil 0-0 (3-2 on penalties) Italy
- 1998 – France | Score: France 3-0 Brazil
- 2002 – Brazil | Score: Brazil 2-0 Germany
- 2006 – Italy | Score: Italy 1-1 (5-3 on penalties) France
- 2010 – Spain | Score: Spain 1-0 Netherlands
- 2014 – Germany | Score: Germany 1-0 (after extra time) Argentina
- 2018 – France | Score: France 4-2 Croatia
- 2022 – Argentina | Score: Argentina 3-3 (4-2 on penalties) France
A total of eight different nations have won the World Cup, the most recent of which was Argentina, who won in 2022.
Brazil has won the World Cup five times. Their most recent came in 2002. That's also the last time they even made it to a final.
Italy and Germany are the two nations closest to matching Brazil, with both sides currently on four wins each.
