2026 FIFA World Cup Explained: How to Watch and Get Tickets
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than a few weeks away, soccer fans around the world are scrambling to secure tickets (good luck with that) or, failing that, to find other ways to watch the biggest tournament in the sport.
The World Cup is always a huge deal, but this edition carries more weight than most. The expanded competition will feature 48 national teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities, making it the largest World Cup ever staged.
Whether you’re trying to find the right channel to watch from your couch or figure out how to actually be in the stadium when it matters, here’s what you need to know.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the every-four-years international men’s soccer championship, organized by FIFA and contested by national teams from across its global membership. Two milestones set this tournament apart from every previous edition: it marks the first time three nations (the United States, Canada, and Mexico) have jointly hosted the event, and the first time the field has grown to 48 teams, up from 32.
Those 48 squads qualify through six regional confederations, meaning more corners of the world have a path to the tournament than ever before. The expanded bracket adds more matches, more groups, and more chances for smaller nations to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opens on June 11 and runs through July 19, giving fans about five-and-a-half weeks of international football. That expanded 48-team field translates directly into volume: the tournament will feature 104 total matches across all stages, from group stage (more about what that is here) through the final.
The first kickoffs on June 11 set the tone immediately, with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City and the Republic of Korea taking on the Czech Republic in Guadalajara. From there, the group stage works through all 48 nations before the bracket narrows, building toward the July 19 final.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played across 16 host stadiums spread throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the United States, matches will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host the final, along with AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, NRG Stadium in Houston, Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Lumen Field in Seattle, Gillette Stadium in the Boston area, and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Mexico’s host venues include Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which will stage the tournament opener, as well as Estadio BBVA in Monterrey and Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. Canada’s matches will be held at BC Place in Vancouver and BMO Field in Toronto.
In the United States, Fox holds the English-language broadcast rights, meaning most games will air on Fox or FS1. FOX One, the network’s streaming service, will carry all 104 matches live, making it the most complete single destination for American viewers. Fox-owned streamer Tubi will also broadcast two games: the tournament opener in Mexico City and the US team’s first game in L.A. Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. can follow the action through NBCUniversal’s Telemundo (and on NBC’s streamer Peacock), with Fútbol de Primera handling Spanish-language radio coverage nationwide.
Canadian viewers are covered through Bell Media, while YouTube has signed on as an official Preferred Platform for the tournament, giving FIFA, media partners, and creators a shared space to distribute content around the games — though not necessarily the games themselves. Media orgs will, however, have the option of streaming the first ten minutes of every game on their YouTube channels.
The United Kingdom and other international broadcast arrangements vary by territory, so fans outside North America should check their local rights holders as the tournament approaches.
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