Sunday, 17th May, 2026

One month left until the FIFA World Cup begins, know all the information

cnnnews.com By Canada Nepal

May 17, 2026
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Agency. There is now a month left for the FIFA World Cup 2026 to begin. Despite being the grand event of world football, there has not been much discussion about the FIFA World Cup this time.

The impact of the West Asian war, Iran’s threat to not play in the World Cup, and the fact that the game will be played in a different time zone in the United States have meant that the excitement of the World Cup has not been as great. But this year’s World Cup will be the biggest yet.

Three countries will host the World Cup at the same time. The largest number of teams so far, 48, will play in the World Cup. There will be a total of 104 matches in the 39-day World Cup.

And with the increase in the number of teams, a knockout stage has also been added to the World Cup. The opening match will be held in Mexico and the final will be held in the United States.

Where and when is the World Cup being held?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held this time in three countries of the North American continent: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19.

Three nations have automatically qualified for the World Cup as host nations.

The World Cup matches will be held in stadiums in a total of 16 cities, including 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada.

The opening match of the World Cup will be held at the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, while the final match will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

World Cup venues

The World Cup matches will be held in a total of 16 venues. The matches will be held in the United States at Atlanta Stadium, Boston Stadium, Dallas Stadium, Houston Stadium, Kansas City Stadium, Los Angeles Stadium, Miami Stadium, New York-New Jersey Stadium, Philadelphia Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, and Seattle Stadium.

Similarly, the matches will be held at Azteca Stadium, Guadalajara Stadium, and Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, and at Toronto Stadium and BC Place Vancouver Stadium in Canada.

These are the 48 participating teams.

This time, the FIFA World Cup will feature a record 48 teams, which means the number of teams from each continent has also increased. Previously, 32 teams were playing in the World Cup.

In which, while a maximum of 16 teams are selected from Europe, 10 from Africa and 9 from Asia will play in the World Cup. Similarly, there are 6 each from North and Central America and Latin America, and 1 team from the Oceania region. As the number of teams increases, there is a provision that one team from Oceania will be selected directly.

From Europe, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey will play in the World Cup.

From Africa, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia have been selected.

Australia, Iran, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Uzbekistan have been selected from Asia.

The hosts, the United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as Curacao, Haiti and Panama from North and Central America, and Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay from South America have qualified for the World Cup. New Zealand is playing for Oceania.

Grouping and formatting

Previously, the participating teams in the World Cup were divided into 8 groups. This time, the 48 teams have been divided into 12 different groups. Each group contains 4 teams.

Previously, after the group stage matches, the group winner and runner-up would advance to the knockout stage.

This time, a total of 32 teams, including the top two teams from each of the 12 groups and the best eight third-place teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

As the number of teams has increased, a round of 32 has also been added to the knockout stage this time. After that, there will be pre-quarterfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final matches.

 

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic

Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

How many new teams are there?

This time, there are four new teams in the World Cup. Jordan and Uzbekistan from Asia, Cape Verde from Africa, and Curacao from North and Central America are all qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

All four teams qualified for the World Cup by passing their continent’s qualifying stage.

The World Cup winning team to date and the most times winner

Since the FIFA World Cup began in Uruguay in 1924, 22 editions have been completed, with 8 nations winning the tournament, including 5 from Europe and 3 from South America. No team from any other continent has won the World Cup, except for these two.

Brazil has won the World Cup the most times, with 5, while European nations Germany and Italy have won 4 each. Similarly, Argentina has won 3, Uruguay and France 2-2, and England and Spain 1-1.

Brazil won the World Cup in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Similarly, Germany won the World Cup in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014. Italy won in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006.

Argentina won in 1978, 1986 and 2022, while Uruguay won the first edition in 1930 and in 1950. France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, England in 1966 and Spain in 2010.

Separate inaugurations in three countries

This time, the World Cup will be held in three different countries, and the opening ceremony will also be held in three different countries. FIFA has already announced the lineup of artists, saying that separate opening ceremonies will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico on Saturday.

The opening ceremony will take place in Mexico on June 11, before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

Similarly, the opening ceremony will be held on June 12 in Los Angeles, USA, and Toronto, Canada.

How many matches will there be in the World Cup?

There will be a total of 104 matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026. There will be a total of 72 matches in the group stage. Similarly, there will be 16 matches in the Round of 32, 8 matches in the pre-quarterfinals, 4 matches in the quarterfinals, 2 matches in the semifinals, and one match each for the final and third place.

 

How much is the prize money for the World Cup?

This time, the prize money for the FIFA World Cup has also been increased.

The FIFA Council has approved a record prize money of US$655 million (655 million US dollars) for the FIFA Men’s World Cup to be held in 2026. This amount is about 50 percent more than the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The team that wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive US$50 million (over Rs. 7 billion), compared to US$42 million for the previous World Cup winner.

Similarly, the runner-up will receive $33 million, third place will receive $29 million, and fourth place will receive $27 million.

The team that is eliminated in the quarterfinals will receive $19 million, the team that is eliminated in the last 16 will receive $15 million, and the team that is eliminated in the round of 32 will receive $11 million.

Teams that are eliminated in the group stage will also receive $9 million, while each country that has qualified for the World Cup will be given an additional $1.5 million for preparation costs. Each team that plays in the World Cup is guaranteed to receive at least $10.5 million.

What time will the World Cup match be held in Nepal?

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches will be held in three North American countries, the time zones in the host countries will differ. As a result, World Cup matches in Asian countries, including Nepal, will mostly be held at night.

In Nepal, matches will be played from 12:45 midnight to 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:45, 5:45, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, and 9:45 am. Similarly, matches will also be played at 9:45 and 10:45 pm.

How to watch the World Cup in Nepal?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 matches have been confirmed to be broadcast live in Nepal as well. In Nepal, the World Cup matches will be available to watch on Himalaya Sports TV and Digi F.

In Nepal, Ace Media Pro had purchased the broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This led to an agreement for Himalaya Sports and Dego to broadcast the games on OTT.

Will Iran play in the World Cup?

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 is being discussed, the main question now is whether Iran will play in the World Cup or not. After the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran, Iran immediately responded by taking a stand not to play in the World Cup.

But recently, Iran has been reluctant to play in the World Cup, and for that, Iran has set 10 conditions. If those conditions are met, Iran will play in the World Cup. The host FIFA and the host countries have not commented on this.

Iran has demanded that players, coaches, and officials be granted visas without hindrance, and that individuals associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be allowed entry.

Iran has also demanded that its national flag and national anthem be respected, as well as additional security measures at airports, hotels, and stadiums.

Who are the teams that are contenders for the World Cup title?

Every time the World Cup is held, there are some famous teams as contenders for the title. These include some old teams that have won the World Cup before and teams that are aiming to win the World Cup title for the first time.

Defending champions Argentina are aiming to win the title for the second time in a row, while Brazil, the five-time winner, is aiming to break their 24-year World Cup title drought.

Along with France, European nations Spain and Germany are also aiming to add to their tally. Apart from this, England, which has won the World Cup only once in 1966, has also been a perennial contender for the World Cup but has not been able to win the title.

Apart from this, countries like Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands, which have yet to win the World Cup, are also contenders for the World Cup title.

Old powerhouse teams like Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and England are always contenders. Similarly, nations like Portugal, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Belgium are also ready to compete with the big teams.

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