Spain won the 2026 World Cup, beating defending champion Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. The 23rd edition began on June 11 and ran 39 days.
It was the first World Cup hosted by three countries and the first with 48 teams instead of 32. Sixteen cities staged matches: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
How the format settled
The first plan, set after the expansion was approved in January 2017, called for 16 groups of three, with the top two in each moving to a round of 32. That would have meant 80 matches. Critics pointed out that a three-team group invites collusion, since the last two sides on the field can arrange a result that sends both through. FIFA floated penalty shootouts after drawn group games to head that off, though some risk would have remained.
The FIFA Council dropped the idea. On March 14, 2023, it approved 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed sides moving into a new round of 32. It was the first format change since 1998.
The match count went from 64 to 104. A team reaching the semi-finals now plays eight games, not seven. Each team still played three group matches, but the tournament stretched to 39 days, against 32 in 2014 and 2018 and 29 in 2022.
Where it was played
FIFA grouped the host cities into three regions. The West had Vancouver, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. The Central region took in Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas and Kansas City. The East covered Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey. Even so, about half the teams had to play group games in two different regions.
The United States hosted 78 matches, including every quarter-final, both semi-finals and the final. Canada and Mexico had 13 each. AT&T Stadium in Arlington held the most of any venue, with nine. The opener, involving Mexico, was played on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which made Mexico the first country to host the World Cup three times. Each host nation played its three group games at home.
The United bid won the hosting vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow in 2018, taking 134 votes to Morocco’s 65.
One new rule affected every game. FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in each half, and broadcasters were allowed to run commercials during them.
