Everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup

The countdown to the biggest tournament in football is on.

The World Cup takes in summer 2026 and will see a record number of teams from across the globe battling it out to be crowned world champions.

It's the biggest World Cup ever and will take place over three countries.

There will be three tournament mascots - one for each host nation: Maple the Moose will represent Canada, Zayu the Jaguar is Mexico's mascot and the United States have Clutch the Bald Eagle.

But who are they and what else can we expect from the 2026 tournament?

Here's everything we know so far about next summer's World Cup..

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The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It's the first time in history that the tournament will be hosted by three different nations.

The opening match will take place on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, with the final set for 19 July in New Jersey.

The tournament is being expanded to include 48 teams for the first time in its history, and as a result it will last a record 39 days.

The new format will feature 12 four-team groups and an extra knockout round.

42 of the 48 places at the 2026 World Cup have already been decided.

The countries that have already secured their spot are:

Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States

Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.

Asia: Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland.

North and Central America and the Caribbean: Curacao, Panama, Haiti.

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Of those counties, four have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history - Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

England have been drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

Thomas Tuchel's side will begin their campaign in Dallas on Wednesday 17 June against Croatia, the team who knocked them out of the World Cup semi-final in 2018. The game kicks off at 9pm UK time.

Their second match is in Boston against Ghana on Tuesday 23 June. Kick-off is 9pm UK time.

England will then face Panama in their final group game, which takes place in New Jersey on Saturday 27 June at 10pm UK time.

Scotland are in Group C along with Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.

Their first match at the men's World Cup for 28 years will be against Haiti in Boston on Sunday 14 June. The game kicks off at 2am UK time.

Scotland will then face Morocco in Boston on Friday 19 June. Kick-off is 11pm UK time.

Their final group match, on Wednesday 24 June, sees them go up against five-time World Cup winners Brazil in Miami at 11pm UK time.

It's going to be a hard road ahead for Wales and Northern Ireland - and only one can make it to next year's World Cup.

Both teams have entered the European play-offs, where a total of 16 teams will battle it out in March next year for four slots at the tournament.

Northern Ireland will head to Italy for their semi-final match, and Wales will host Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Both home nations sides will have to win those games for a chance to progress - but if they do - they will end up having to play each other in the final for a place at the tournament.

If either Wales or Northern Ireland do qualify, then they would join Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.

Sixteen cities will host games during next summer's World Cup, eleven in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

These are the 2026 World Cup host cities:

USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.

Argentina are the current world champions, having won the previous tournament which took place in Qatar in 2022.

They beat France on penalties in a thrilling final, after the game finished 3-3 after extra-time.

The result meant that Lionel Messi lifted the trophy for Argentina - the third time the country has won the World Cup, having previously been crowned world champions in 1978 and 1986.

There are three 2026 World Cup mascots - one representing each host nation.

They are Maple the Moose (Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (USA).

According to Fifa, they each reflect the culture, heritage and spirit of their respective countries.

Goalie Maple is an artist who loves music with a habit of making legendary saves.

Zayu is an athletic striker from the jungles of Mexico. When he's not playing football, Zayu loves dancing and eating!

And midfielder Clutch loves adventure, supporting his teammates, and keeping spirits high.

The 2026 World Cup final will stage it's first-ever Super Bowl-style half-time show.

The announcement was made earlier this year on social media by Fifa President Gianni Infantino, however more details are yet to be confirmed.

He wrote: "I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a Fifa World Cup final in New York, New Jersey.

"This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world," Mr Infantino added.

He also revealed that Coldplay singer Chris Martin will help put together a set of artists to perform.

We don't know yet how long the show will be. Half time lasts 15 minutes but for comparison, the Super Bowl half-time show generally lasts around 30 minutes so stages and equipment brought in and out.

Last year, Fifa announced that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host the 2030 men's football World Cup.

It's the first time that three countries across two continents - Europe and Africa - will officially stage the tournament.

The opening matches will also be held on a third continent, South America, which means that competing teams will play across different seasons and hemispheres within the same tournament.

The 2030 event is particularly special, because its the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.