104 matches in 39 days: Four things to watch out for at the 2026 World Cup

THERE are just a little under seven months to go for the start of the next Fifa World Cup tournament, which will be staged in three North American countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico – for the first time.

The qualifying process is in its final stages, and 29 teams, including the three host nations, have already punched their ticket to play on football’s grandest stage.

The 2026 World Cup is the largest in the history of the tournament, with a total of 48 teams – a 50 per cent increase from the 32 that contested the last edition in Qatar in 2022, which was won by Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

Here are four things to know about football’s quadrennial showpiece, hailed by many as the grandest spectacle in international sport.

Who has qualified so far?

Two-time world champions France became the latest team to book their spot after defeating Ukraine 4-0 in Paris on Thursday (Nov 13). This will be Les Bleus’ eighth consecutive appearance at the World Cup, and Didier Deschamps’ men can afford to take their foot off the pedal when they face minnows Azerbaijan in their final qualifier on Sunday.

Many other countries have also confirmed their place. Among them are the record five-time winners Brazil, the 1966 champions England, Australia, Uruguay, Japan and South Korea.

Thirteen more teams are set to join them after the next round of games are played over the next few days, with the likes of Portugal, Germany and Italy still waiting to find out their fate. The final six participants will be known only next March, after the World Cup draw is held on Dec 5 in Washington.

Which nations are making their debut?

As at press time, there are three debutants set to play at the World Cup: Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde.

Uzbekistan is the first double-landlocked country to make it to the World Cup, as well as the first Central Asian country to do so. They have grown in stature as an Asian powerhouse in recent years; in fact, they came within a whisker of qualifying for the 2014 edition, losing to Jordan on penalties in an intercontinental playoff.

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Jordan erupted in euphoria in June when they defeated Oman 3-0 thanks to an Ali Olwan hat-trick to confirm their spot in the finals, making it the first time they have done so in 40 years of trying.

As for Cape Verde, this archipelago of volcanic islands located off the western coast of Africa will be the second-smallest country by population to play at the World Cup, after Iceland did so in 2018.

Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0 to top their group in African qualifying, four points ahead of the mighty Cameroon.

When does the World Cup begin?

With 104 games to be played over 39 days, it is guaranteed that there will be many sleepless nights for fans in Asia, given the time difference with North America.

Mexico has been given the honour of opening the tournament on Jun 11, in Mexico City. The Azteca Stadium has a capacity of 83,000; this historic venue was also where the opening game of the 1970 and 1986 World Cups were held.

The grand final will be contested at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in the US on Jul 19. The 82,500-seater stadium was also where this year’s Fifa Club World Cup final was played, as a full house watched English Premier League side Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.

Is this the swansong for Messi and Ronaldo?

The 2026 World Cup will surely be the last one for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 43 and 45, respectively, by the time the 2030 tournament comes along.

Messi realised his dream of lifting the golden trophy four years ago when Argentina outlasted France in a penalty shoot-out. That final, which finished 3-3 after extra time and featured a hat-trick by Kylian Mbappe, was hailed by many purists as one of the greatest World Cup matches of all time.

Portugal’s Ronaldo has never won the World Cup in his glittering career, and there is a question mark over how much he will get to play next year after he received a straight red card in his team’s loss to Ireland this week. He is almost certain to miss Portugal’s opening match, and there is a risk he could also sit out the second of the three group games, depending on the length of his suspension.