The United States is set to host the 2026 World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico. DW fills you in on why this tournament will be different than its predecessors.
A stark logo for a different tournamentImage: FIFA
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1. Three countries as joint hosts
Usually, the World Cup is an event hosted by a single nation, but this has not always been the case. The 2002 World Cup broke new ground when Japan and South Korea, two nations that have not always had an easy relationship, teamed up to host the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup goes one further, with three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico — all hosting. While these countries have usually enjoyed good relations, US ties with Canada and Mexico have become strained since the start of President Donald Trump's second term in office.
2. More teams, more games
Love it or hate it, the move to expand the World Cup from the previous 32 to 48 teams was a bold move by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. More teams mean many more games, a total of 104 compared to 64 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This also means there will be 12 groups of four teams, compared to eight four years ago. An extra knockout round — the Round of 32 — has also been introduced to help whittle down the number of teams on the way to the final in New Jersey on July 19. That will be played on the 39th day of the tournament, 10 more than it took to complete the 2022 World Cup.
It hasn't always been smiles between Donald Trump (second from left), Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum (second from right) and Mark Carney of Canada (right)Image: Amber Searls/Imagn Images/IMAGO
3. New participants
While critics will argue that increasing the number of teams could lower the overall quality of play, it has helped some countries qualify for a first-ever World Cup. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their debuts on football's biggest stage. Of these, Curacao are the biggest underdogs, coming from a country with a population of under 160,000 and ranked number 82 in the world.
Several other first-timers have the chance to join via the qualifying playoffs in March — including North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and even New Caledonia.
4. More travel
This is not the first time a World Cup will be held over a large geographical area, but the distances that teams and fans will have to cover in 2026 will be a shock to the system after Qatar, which is smaller than Connecticut — the third-smallest state in the US.
Farthest apart among the venues are Vancouver and Miami – 4,507 kilometers (2,800 miles). Germany stand to rack up 2,619 kilometers just to travel from Houston to Toronto to New Jersey for their group-stage matches — and that doesn't even take into account travel to and from their base camp, the location of which has yet to be announced.
New York New Jersey Stadium, as it will be known during the World Cup, will host the final on July 19Image: felixtm/Depositphotos/IMAGO
5. Mandatory hydration breaks
While hydration breaks are not new to football, FIFA has announced that all matches at the 2026 World Cup will have two scheduled breaks — regardless of the weather conditions. Referees will be under instructions to halt games 22 minutes into each half so players can rehydrate, FIFA said in a statement.
Previously, referees were required to call cooling breaks 30 minutes into each half when the temperature at kickoff exceeded 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
The change comes amid concerns about high temperatures expected in some of the host cities, as was the case at last summer's Club World Cup in the US. FIFA has said it took this into account when determining kickoff times.
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6. Not all fans welcome, host cities in doubt
Two countries that have qualified for the World Cup, Iran and Haiti, are on a travel ban announced by Trump last June. As things stand, their fans won't be able to travel to the US to support their teams.
In December, Trump imposed partial travel restrictions on two other countries qualified for the tournament, Ivory Coast and Senegal. The teams themselves should have no trouble entering the US, though, as the Trump executive order makes exceptions for, among others, "any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state."
Where the games will actually be played is also in some doubt, as Trump has repeatedly threatened to move World Cup matches away from Democratic-run cities for "security" reasons. During a meeting at the White House in November, FIFA head Infantino offered no push back: "Safety and security is the No. 1 priority for a successful World Cup," he said.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding
What to look forward to in the world of sports in 2026
2026 looks like a banner year for sports fans, with the highlight for most being the men's World Cup in June and July. The Winter Olympic Games will feature what many believe will be the best-ever ice hockey tournament.
Image: Graham Hughes/IMAGO
Australian Open: January 18-February 1
Jannik Sinner (left) of Italy enters the 2026 Australian Open as defending men's singles champion, while Germany's Alexander Zverev (right), who lost in the final, will be vying for his first Grand Slam win. Madison Keys of the United States is the defending champion on the women's side of the first Grand Slam of the tennis season and the first major sporting event of every year.
Image: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Super Bowl LX: February 8
If the Australian Open is the first highlight of every sporting year, the Super Bowl is certainly the second. The championship match of the National Football League regularly attracts well over 100 million television viewers in the United States and millions more globally. Many who watch tune in as much for the halftime show as the game itself.
Image: Matt Slocum/AP Photo/picture alliance
Winter Olympics: February 6-February 22
The Winter Olympics is a multi-sport event, but the men's ice hockey tournament is among the most popular. The NHL players will be back, making this the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia — minus the Russians, of course. Canada's Connor McDavid (left) and Auston Matthews of the US (both pictured) and Germany's Leon Draisaitl will be among the stars to watch.
Image: Graham Hughes/IMAGO
World Baseball Classic: March 5-17
While Major League Baseball calls the winners of its World Series "world champions," it's a term perhaps more applicable to the World Baseball Classic. This year's edition will be spread over the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico, with the semifinals and final to be held in Miami. Led by superstar Shohei Ohtani (right), Japan beat the USA 3-2 in the final of the last tournament in 2023.
Image: Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Paralympics: March 6-15
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Paralympic Winter Games, held in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. In Milan and Cortina 2026, around 600 athletes will compete in 79 medal events across six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboard and wheelchair curling. A new event, wheelchair curling mixed doubles, has been introduced for these Games.
Image: Dita Alangkara/AP Photo/picture alliance
Formula One: March 8-December 6
Formula One enters a new season with a new defending drivers' champion, Britain's Lando Norris, whose McLaren-Mercedes team also won the constructors' championship in 2025. The 77th edition of the Formula One World Championship will be run over 24 races, beginning with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8 and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 6.
Image: Nicolas Economou/SportPix UK/IMAGO
Champions League finals: May 23, May 30
The European football season reaches its climax with the Champions League finals. The women's final is to be played at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, while the men do battle a week later in the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Barcelona have dominated the women's tournament, reaching six of the last seven finals, winning it three times. Arsenal (women) and Paris St. Germain (men) are defending champions.
Image: Jose Hernandez/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
Enhanced Games: May 24
The first Enhanced Games is to take place in Las Vegas. The competition, including athletics, swimming and weightlifting, allows athletes using performance-enhancing substances to compete without being subject to testing. As such, the idea has been widely criticized. The EG made headlines last May, when it claimed that Kristian Gkolomeev (photo) had set a world record in the 50-meters freestyle.
Image: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images
FIFA World Cup: June 11-July 19
The men's World Cup is being held for the second time in the United States after 1994, with a few games also to be hosted by Mexico and Canada. This will be the first time that the tournament will feature 48 teams — up from 32 in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The defending champions are Lionel Messi's Argentina. Germany are in Group E, along with Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Image: Matthias Koch/IMAGO
T20 World Cups: February, June, July
The 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is to be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from June 12 to July 5. For the first time, the tournament is to feature 12 teams, up from 10 in 2024. New Zealand are the defending women's champions. The men's version of the tournament is to be contested from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka. Australia are the men's titleholders.
Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Women's Basketball World Cup: September 4-13
Germany is set to host the the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup for a second time — after 1998. All of the matches will be played in Berlin. After the 2022 tournament in Australia featured just 12 teams, the World Cup is back up to 16 — the same number that took part in the event from 1990 to 2018. The United States are the four-time defending champions.
World Athletics Ultimate Championship: September 11-13
Another event to be held for the first time is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship — in Budapest. Unlike the regular World Athletics Championships, it only includes semifinals and finals. Which athletes are invited is determined largely by the world rankings. Olympic champions and world champions, like Oblique Seville (photo), who won the 100-meters in Tokyo, are automatically invited.
Image: Kyodo News/IMAGO
WTA, ATP Finals: November
These finals are the most prestigious tennis tournament of the season after the four Grand Slams. The women and men compete in separate events at separate locations. The 2026 WTA Finals are to be held in Riyadh from November 7 to 14, while the men assemble for the ATP Finals in Turin on November 15. Elena Rybakina is the defending women's singles champion, Jannik Sinner is the men's title holder.
