US, Mexico, & Canada —
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins this Thursday. The contest, which is bigger and longer than ever this year, is being held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Many people are excited to see the 104 soccer matches with the world’s top players. But there are also some concerns about this year’s World Cup.
Soccer (Football) & the World Cup
Soccer (or “football”, as most of the world calls it) is the most popular sport on Earth. The World Cup is a soccer contest started in 1930, and held every four years. This year, the 48 best men’s national soccer teams will compete to become the next world champion.
The World Cup is so popular that more people watch it than any other sports event. The final match of the 2022 contest was watched by roughly 1.5 billion people.
(Source: ProtoplasmaKid [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
This year, FIFA has expanded the tournament to include teams from 48 countries instead of just 32. This has allowed several countries to enter the contest for the first time ever. Because there are more teams, there will be more matches, and the contest will last longer than normal.
The 48 competing countries have been split into 12 different groups. The two best teams from these groups, along with eight third-place teams, will go on to the next round, called the Round of 32.
From then on, a team must win every game to remain in the tournament. The World Cup is always full of surprises, but some of the strongest teams include France, Spain, Argentina, England, and Portugal.
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The World Cup is always full of surprises, but some of the strongest teams include France, Spain, Argentina, England, and Portugal. Above, Kylian Mbappe (#10) of France is seen with Patrick Kelly (#2) of Northern Ireland during a “friendly” match on Monday before the official start of the World Cup.
Some people have criticized this year’s tournament for being too spread out. The matches will be held at 11 stadiums across the US, as well as three stadiums in Mexico and two in Canada. Teams and fans will have to travel long distances, and deal with moving back and forth between different times zones.
Another concern for the players is intense summer heat, which could be made worse by the climate crisis. Only a few of the contest’s arenas have air conditioning. FIFA has added a water break to all games roughly halfway through each half. But the conditions could still become dangerously hot for players.
(Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors [ODbL], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Getting ready for a World Cup contest is a huge job. The host countries have to take care of 48 soccer teams and provide enough stadiums for all the games. They also need to be prepared for all the visitors who are expected to come watch the games.
This year, because of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on immigration, fans from some countries haven’t been allowed into the US, so they won’t be able to watch their teams play in person. One of the official referees was also prevented from entering the US.
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Despite the challenges, many people are looking forward to watching 39 days of some of the best soccer in the world. Above, the stadium in Los Angeles where the US team will face Paraguay on Friday during the first game in the United States.
Safety is a concern in both the US and Mexico. In the US, some people worry that the government might send agents to the games to try to catch illegal immigrants. In Mexico, there is concern that there might be violence from drug gangs.
The US war with Iran has also raised questions about whether Iran’s team will be able to play in the World Cup. All three of Iran’s group games are supposed to take place in the US. The US government appears to be allowing Iranian players into the country. But over a dozen workers who support the team have been prevented from entering the US. Iran’s fans are also unable to enter the country.
Despite the challenges, many people are looking forward to watching 39 days of some of the best soccer in the world.
Did You Know…?
FIFA has upset many fans with extremely expensive ticket prices this year. The prices for the 2026 World Cup are far higher than ever before. Tickets to many games have cost thousands of dollars. Tickets to the final game on July 19 have been offered for sale at more than $2 million each.