Everything you need to know about World Cup 2026

The biggest ever World Cup is fast approaching, with the fixtures and locations all confirmed.

The tournament across America, Canada and Mexico will see 48 teams competing to become best in the world - up from the usual 32.

Dramatic playoffs saw Italy narrowly miss out on a spot in the cup for the third time in a row, while Iraq will return to the tournament for the first time in 1986.

But with the World Cup coming amid the US' war in Iran and FIFA being embroiled in ticket controversy, there is as much drama coming off the pitch as there will be on it.

Here's everything you need to know.

When and where is the World Cup?

The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and will be played at 11 sites in America, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

104 games will be played overall - up from 64.

The host nations automatically qualify and will play all three of their group stage matches on home soil.

The final will take place at the New York New Jersey (MetLife) Stadium - home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

The stadiums where games will be played are:

America:
• Atlanta Stadium
• Boston Stadium
• Dallas Stadium
• Houston Stadium
• Kansas City Stadium
• Los Angeles Stadium
• Miami Stadium
• New York New Jersey Stadium
• Philadelphia Stadium
• San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
• Seattle Stadium

Mexico:
• Estadio Azteca Mexico City
• Estadio Guadalajara
• Estadio Monterrey

Canada:
• Toronto Stadium
• BC Place Vancouver Stadium

How will the group stages work?

Due to the increased number of countries in the tournament, the group stage format has changed slightly. Instead of 32 teams being divided into eight groups, this year will see 12 groups of four.

The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a round of 32.

For the first time since 1998, Scotland have bagged themselves a place through qualifying while Jordan, Curacao, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts.

Here's the full list of groups:

When are England and Scotland playing?

England are in Group L and will begin their campaign on 17 June in Texas against Croatia, who knocked the Three Lions out of the 2018 World Cup.

Here's England's full fixture list:

• England vs Croatia - 17 June, Dallas, 9pm (UK time)
• England vs Ghana - 23 June, Boston, 9pm (UK time)
• Panama vs England - 27 June, New York-New Jersey, 10pm (UK time)

Scotland's timetable is less favourable for fans, who will need to stay up through the night to watch their side take on opponents including five-time winners Brazil.

• Haiti vs Scotland - June 14, Boston, 2am (UK time)
• Scotland vs Morocco - June 19, Boston, 11pm (UK time)
• Scotland vs Brazil - June 24, Miami, 11pm (UK time)

Read more:
What to know about England's opponents
Scotland's 2am kick-off 'difficult' - what World Cup schedule means

How much are tickets?

Initially, FIFA suggested tickets for the competition's 104 matches would be sold using dynamic pricing, meaning fans would pay different prices according to demand.

Variable pricing - fluctuating based on demand - had never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

FIFA later backed away from it, saying allocations would be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.It has said the cheapest tickets have sold from $60 (£45) in the group stages - but some have been listed for thousands.

Football's governing body has put seats for the final in July on sale for $32,970 (£24,176), up from an earlier cost of $10,990 (£8,000) - a price that now only applies to seats in the wheelchair and easy access sections of the venue in East Rutherford.

FIFA's official "resale/exchange marketplace" website for the match has shown four seats available for $2,299,998.85 (£1.7m).

Tickets for the first semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, were on offer for between $2,705 (£1,984) and $11,130 (£8,164).

Fans wanting to see the other last-four clash at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the following day will now have to stump up between $2,725 (£1,999) and $10,635 (£7,801).

The highest-priced seats for the USA's group games were $2,970 (£2,179) for the third and final match against Turkey, while the lowest top price was $2,715 (£1,991) for the second game against Australia.

Canada's opening-round match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto has tickets listed for up to $3,360 (£2,475).

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has regularly defended FIFA's pricing, saying it is operating "in a market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates".

Fans warned to beware ticket scams

Football fans are being urged to be alert to fraud as the tournament draws closer, with victims of ticket scams losing £215 on average, according to research by Lloyds Bank.

The research, based on cases between October 2025 and March 2026, suggests football ticket scams increased by 36% during the current Premier League season.

Lloyds says it now fears scammers will attempt to exploit interest in the World Cup.

The warning comes as the cost of the best available tickets for the World Cup final has been tripled by FIFA, less than five weeks before the tournament starts.

Who will perform at the half-time show?

Following in the footsteps of the NFL's Superbowl, FIFA has confirmed that a half-time show will be performed during the World Cup final on 19 July.

Other finals have had musical acts before, but this will be the first half-time show.

It will be headlined by pop stars Madonna and Shakira, along with South Korean boyband BTS, while characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also be making appearances, according to FIFA.

Coldplay's Chris Martin, who FIFA says is helping "curate" the show, has said it will be "all about togetherness… and everyone's invited".

Shakira has also teamed up with Nigerian singer Burna Boy for the official 2026 World Cup song, Dai Dai. It's the Colombian star's second song for the tournament, after her hit Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) in 2010.

Uncertainty over Iran's involvement

Iran has qualified for the World Cup, but the country's sports minister said the team could "under no circumstances" compete after US and Israeli forces began attacking it.

Donald Trump has also voiced concerns over Iran participating, saying he'd worry for the players' "life and safety".

But FIFA president Gianni Infantino claims he is confident they will play.

"Iran is coming for sure," he told CNBC on 14 April.

"We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play."

Later in April, a close ally of US president Donald Trump, Paolo Zampolli, revealed that he had asked FIFA to replace the Iranians with four-time World Cup winners Italy, who failed to qualify.

But Italian sports minister Andrea Abodi said it would not be appropriate for the "Azzurri" to replace the Iranian team, telling Sky News that "qualification is done on the pitch".

At the start of May, Iran's football chief Mehdi Taj told Iranian broadcaster IRIB: "We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA - not Mr Trump or America."

But he said Iran would be looking for assurances about their treatment by the US at the tournament.

"We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system - especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," he said.

Canada and the US are among those who classify the IRGC - a paramilitary force integral to upholding the Iranian regime - as a terror group.

Iran is slated to open against New Zealand on 15 June before facing Belgium on June 21, with both matches in Los Angeles. They are then scheduled to face Egypt in Seattle.

If they were to advance beyond the group stages, the rest of its games would also be held in the US.

A national team has not withdrawn from a FIFA World Cup since 1950.

New red card offence for covering mouths

There may well be more red cards this tournament thanks to new rules being introduced by the football governing body surrounding players who cover their mouths while confronting opposition players.

The move comes following abuse faced by Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr that went unpunished during a Champions League fixture against Benfica in February.

Vinicius complained about being racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni after scoring a goal, but it was unclear what Prestianni said because his mouth was covered.

Prestianni was later handed a partially suspended six-game ban after he claimed he used a homophobic slur, rather than a racial one.

Mr Infantino told Sky News after the incident: "If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously.

"There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth."

At the end of April, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced the new rules had been voted through and would be adopted for the World Cup, saying in a statement: "At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card."

Players and fans to face dangerous heat

This year's World Cup could see hazardous heat and humidity for players and fans at around a quarter of games, academics have warned.

World Weather Attribution (WWA) says its analysis shows climate change has spiked the temperature risks for players and fans, compared to the last US-hosted World Cup in 1994.

Around 25% of all games are likely to be played when conditions exceed 26C (78.8F) on the wet bulb global temperature system - an index that considers how effectively the body can cool itself (WBGT).

When temperatures are above that benchmark, Global players' union FIFPRO advises implementing safety measures such as cooling.

Games at risk of being played above the benchmark include the tournament final, hosted in New York and New Jersey on 19 July, as well as two quarter-finals and the third-place play-off.

WWA added that around five games are expected to occur when the WBGT is above 28C (82.4F), a level that FIFPRO considers to be unsafe for play and advises postponement.

FIFA previously announced that it would include three-minute hydration breaks 22 minutes into each half of every game at the World Cup.

Meet the mascots - and the ball

As there are three host nations, this year's World Cup also comes with three mascots.

Maple the moose, Zayu the jaguar and Clutch the bald eagle will represent host countries Canada, Mexico and America respectively.

Also reflecting the three co-hosts is the official World Cup match ball - Trionda - which means three waves in Spanish.

The ball features a swirled pattern incorporating red, green and blue, with each section representing a host nation.

(c) Sky News 2026: Everything you need to know about World Cup 2026