June 9, 2026
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup is fast approaching. With the first match kicking off on 11th June and then the final taking place on 19th July, it’s a highly anticipated event.
This year the event is being co-hosted simultaneously by the USA, Canada and Mexico. Taking place across 16 cities in North America, 11 cities in Central America and 3 cities in Mexico. FIFA has earmarked a whopping $655 million (£490.5m) for the winner of the final match, marking a 50% increase on the 2022 prize of $440 million.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Qatar, had a record-breaking 5 billion people engage across various platforms, averaging at 175 million viewers per match. FIFA is predicting an overall engagement of 6 billion people total for this years tournament.
FIFA World Cup History
Starting in 1930, FIFA World Cup started out with just 13 teams from 3 continents playing for the Jules Rimet Trophy, named after the first president. The tournament was hosted by Uruguay with approximately 64,346 fans watching. The tournament was created to allow the best football players in the world to compete, unlike the Olympic football tournaments which were limited to amateur players.
The evolution of the FIFA World Cup
The World Cup tournament has gone through a number of changes over the years. The first edition in 1930 used a group stage, followed by semi-finals and then a final. Whereas the 1934 and 1938 tournaments which took place in Europe used a knock-out style format. After the war, the 1950 FIFA World Cup returned to the group stages, eventually introducing a ‘round-robin’ group match instead of a single final match.
Who are the favourites to win the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The current favourite to win this year is Spain after their UEFA Euro 2024 victory against England. Other leading contenders include France, England and Argentina. Spain and France have world-class players in every position making them strong favourites however England and Argentina have powerful tactical systems suited to their styles of play.
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