2 months ago
After Tuesday’s playoff matches decided nan last six spots, nan World Cup section is set. Forty-eight teams will travel to North America this summertime for nan 23rd version of nan biggest sporting arena connected nan planet.
The tourney kicks disconnected 11 June successful Mexico City and runs until nan last connected 19 July successful New Jersey, comprising 104 matches crossed nan United States, Mexico and Canada. To people nan completion of nan section of 48, Guardian writers answered 48 questions connected topics from World Cup history and nan US men’s nationalist squad to Messi, Ronaldo and mascots.
Which teams are playing?
This World Cup will characteristic 48 teams, nan astir successful nan tournament’s history. The 3 big countries, nan US, Mexico and Canada, qualified automatically. Spain, nan existent No 1 successful Fifa’s rankings, and caller champions Argentina and France are heavy-hitters. Four teams will make their World Cup debuts. New Zealand (No 85) are nan lowest-ranked squad successful nan field. Among nan teams who won’t beryllium there: four-time champion Italy. EB
How often is nan men’s World Cup played?
Every 4 years. Fifa has precocious flirted pinch nan thought of staging nan tourney biennially – aliases moreover each 3 years – but for now it remains each four. PM
Who are nan favorites?
European Championship holders Spain person nan champion likelihood to triumph nan World Cup this summer. England and France, nan 2018 champions and runners-up successful 2022, are 2nd favorites, depending connected which bookie you consult. Lionel Messi’s Argentina are seeking to go nan first federation to triumph back-to-back World Cups since Brazil successful 1962. Brazil, pinch their 5 men’s World Cups, are a favourite successful conscionable astir immoderate tourney they participate (as are Germany, pinch their four). EB
Why has it expanded to 48 teams?
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has described nan 48-team tourney arsenic a measurement to “open it to nan world”. And this version will spot nan astir debutants – Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan – since 2006, positive nan returns of Haiti, nan Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. The existent logic for nan description ? Probably money. When Fifa announced nan description backmost successful 2017, it projected nan summation would make astir $1bn much income and $640m successful profit from tv and sponsorship. Infantino has said that money would beryllium reinvested successful Fifa’s 211 personnel associations. EB
How are games divided betwixt nan US, Mexico and Canada?
The US gets 78 of nan tournament’s 104 matches, while Canada and Mexico will get 13 each. While nan United 2026 bid leaned heavy connected nan collaborative imaginable betwixt nan 3 North American nations, this World Cup will go an all-US matter from nan quarter-final shape onwards. Vancouver’s BC Place and Mexico City’s celebrated Estadio Azteca will clasp contests successful nan information of 16. A reminder: nan Azteca holds a typical spot successful World Cup lore arsenic nan only venue astatine which some Pelé (1970) and Diego Maradona (1986) won nan World Cup. JR
How overmuch money will nan winners get?
A grounds $50m successful prize money will spell to nan winners, pinch $33m for nan second-place team. All told, Fifa is paying retired $727m to nan tournament’s 48 participants. PM
How did Curaçao make it?
A reasonable question, considering that Curaçao, pinch a organization of 165,000, will beryllium nan smallest nation to ever play astatine a World Cup. Their qualification is downstream of nan truth that big nations are guaranteed a spot successful nan World Cup field. Since nan US and Mexico (almost) ever declare 2 of nan region’s places and Canada has established itself arsenic a 3rd powerfulness successful nan North and Central American confederation (Concacaf), nan section was much unfastened than ever to nan remainder of nan countries successful nan region. Concacaf still had 3 guaranteed berths beyond nan hosts, which were claimed by Panama, Haiti and Curaçao. Of note: Curaçao caput coach Dick Advocaat resigned successful precocious February owed to family reasons, leaving him arsenic a Moses-like fig successful Curaçao shot lore. JR
When is nan opening match?
Estadio Azteca will big nan opener betwixt Mexico and South Africa connected 11 June. Canada play their opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina connected 12 June successful Toronto, and nan USMNT statesman successful Inglewood, California, against Paraguay connected nan aforesaid day. EB
When is nan final?
The last is group for 19 July astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, adjacent New York City. It besides hosted nan 2016 Copa América Centenario last and past summer’s Club World Cup final. EB
Can I still get tickets?
This feels much for illustration a mobility for your slope relationship than for us. But should you beryllium somewhat flush, Fifa’s “last-minute” summons income shape originates connected Wednesday astatine 11am ET/4pm BST. Tickets will beryllium sold connected a first-come, first-served basis. Fifa’s charismatic resale marketplace opens Thursday. AA
How americium I expected to watch each these games?
If you’re successful a World Cup city, location will beryllium opportunities to watch nan games astatine instrumentality festivals. (Our columnist believes those are nan existent champion places to soak up a World Cup.)
If you’re watching connected TV successful nan US, Fox has nan authorities to English-language broadcasts and Telemundo/Universo has Spanish-language rights. In nan UK, nan World Cup will aerial connected BBC and ITV. In Australia, nan tourney will beryllium connected SBS and successful Canada connected TSN, CTV, and RDS. EB
Isn’t it going to beryllium hot?
Probably. Summer successful North America is basking – successful cities crossed nan confederate United States, from Arlington and Houston to Miami and Atlanta, temperatures tin apical 90F (more than 30C). Heat was a concern for visiting teams during past summer’s Club World Cup, and nan world players’ national later came retired to opportunity that immoderate games should person been postponed aliases delayed due to excessive heat. Many of nan games this summertime will return spot successful stadiums pinch roofs and aerial conditioning. EB
Will we spot much hydration breaks – and commercialized breaks?
Perhaps to the displeasure of US caput coach Mauricio Pochettino, nan reply is yes. Every crippled will see 2 three-minute hydration breaks. Referees will extremity play 22 minutes into each half for players to return drinks and gather, sloppy of nan somesthesia aliases whether nan stadium has a tile and aerial conditioning. While Fifa has said nan alteration is successful nan liking of “player safety”, coaches and players person had mixed opinions connected really nan breaks impact nan travel of nan game.
The pauses could besides bring a staple of American sports to nan world game: nan mid-game advertisement break. Last month, Fifa gave commercialized broadcasters permission to trim distant to advertisements during hydration breaks. EB
Which stadium has nan champion view?
Of nan 16 lucifer venues crossed North America, Estadio BBVA successful Monterrey is nan clear victor here. The steel-and-concrete marvel’s unfastened tile features a spectacular position of nan adjacent Cerro de la Silla, a 6,000ft upland range. This isn’t conscionable nan astir beautiful stadium astatine this year’s World Cup, it’s among nan astir beautiful places anyplace successful nan world to spot a match. PM
Which squad will request to recreation nan farthest during nan group stage?
Bosnia and Herzegovina person nan longest estimated recreation distance during nan group stage, astatine 5,039km going from Toronto to Inglewood to Seattle. Algeria commencement successful Kansas City earlier walking to nan San Francisco Bay Area for their 2nd match, past backmost to Kansas City (an estimated 4,840km). EB
Where are nan teams staying?
Here, location and everywhere. Each squad person picked a guidelines campy to train astatine during nan tournament. Four teams – England, Argentina, nan Netherlands and Algeria – chose the Kansas City area. The USMNT will beryllium based successful Irvine, California. Brazil chose New Jersey; Spain opted for Chattanooga, Tennessee; Germany picked Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Uruguay chose Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. EB
Which squad are apt to beryllium nan first eliminated?
It’s thing personal, South Africa. Your installment of nan World Cup hatched galore fond on-field memories (and some grim off-field realities thereafter). Much of this comes down to nan draw: Bafana Bafana were placed successful Group A, wherever they’ll unfastened nan tourney by visiting Mexico astatine Estadio Azteca. Their 2nd crippled will travel against playoff qualifiers Czech Republic. With South Korea besides successful good shape to information retired nan group, nan mathematics is skewed heavy against South Africa. JR
Who is nan champion subordinate successful nan world?
It’s Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé, if you judge the Guardian’s 219-person panel made up of journalists, players, coaches and pundits from astir nan world. Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Portugal’s Vitinha besides earned precocious praise. AA
Is Lionel Messi going to play?
Realistically, yes. But Argentina head Lionel Scaloni said past week that nan Inter Miami star’s information this summertime still isn’t confirmed. In an question and reply pinch NBC News precocious past year, nan 38-year-old (who will move 39 during nan tournament) didn’t precisely sound ace convincing erstwhile he said: “I would for illustration to beryllium there, to beryllium good and beryllium an important portion of helping my nationalist team, if I americium there. And I’m going to measure that connected a day-to-day ground erstwhile I commencement preseason adjacent twelvemonth pinch Inter [Miami] and spot if I tin really beryllium 100%, if I tin beryllium useful to nan group, to nan nationalist team, and past make a decision.” Messi has dealt pinch immoderate wounded troubles successful caller years, truthful it’s apt he conscionable doesn’t want to beryllium a load connected nan squad should he suffer immoderate of nan groin issues that person affected him recently. But it’s difficult to ideate Argentina astatine this World Cup without him – if he tin run, he’ll beryllium there. AA
Is Cristiano Ronaldo going to play?
All signs constituent to nan 41-year-old playing astatine his sixth World Cup. The all-time men’s world starring scorer missed Portugal’s 2 March friendlies against Mexico and nan USMNT pinch a hamstring injury, but head Roberto Martínez said he wasn’t successful threat of missing nan tournament. Ronaldo has spent nan past 4 seasons playing for Al-Nassr of nan Saudi Pro League. He hasn’t played successful nan US since 2014 but he did sojourn nan White House arsenic a impermanent of Donald Trump successful November. EB
Which breakthrough players should I look retired for?
We person a list for that, too! We’ll person to hold until May to spot who really makes their country’s roster. AA
What is nan deadline for countries to sanction their squad?
Provisional lists of up to 55 players are owed successful May, pinch last rosters owed 30 May. PM
What’s nan backstory to nan Trump/Infantino love-in?
For a man who has said “politics should enactment retired of shot and shot should enactment retired of politics”, Infantino has spent rather a batch of clip cozying up pinch politicians – and possibly nary leader much truthful than Trump. During nan US president’s first term, Infantino traveled to Washington to be nan signing of nan Abraham Accords betwixt Israel, Bahrain and nan United Arab Emirates. He attended Trump’s 2nd inauguration; has been a predominant impermanent astatine Mar-a-Lago; oversaw nan opening of a Fifa agency successful Trump Tower successful New York; and past took halfway shape pinch Trump to grant him the first-ever Fifa bid prize astatine nan World Cup tie successful December. Find a deeper publication connected nan Trump-Infantino narration here. EB
How large of an effect will ICE have?
At a legislature proceeding successful February, Todd Lyons, nan acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, described ICE’s beingness arsenic a “key part” of World Cup security. He did not norm retired nan usage of tactical enforcement teams – nan benignant deployed crossed nan state during Trump’s migration crackdown – astatine aliases astir World Cup venues. The agency often has a beingness astatine large-scale events, including Super Bowls, but it has been nether awesome nationalist scrutiny aft federal agents killed 2 US citizens successful Minneapolis earlier this year. Nellie Pou, a Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey whose location territory includes nan tract of nan final, has introduced authorities to artifact ICE from conducting raids wrong a mile of matches aliases instrumentality festivals this summer. EB
Are fans of immoderate countries banned from nan US?
Trump’s travel bans specifically target group arriving from 4 qualified countries: Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. There are exceptions for athletes and officials, but location whitethorn beryllium difficulties for fans successful acquiring visas to participate nan US. Visitors from countries not nether recreation bans could still look roadblocks successful reaching nan US. Beginning Thursday, nan authorities section will require travelers from definite countries to beforehand a enslaved of up to $15,000 to participate nan US. The argumentation presently applies to 5 World Cup qualifiers – Algeria, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia – and does not person an exemption for athletes aliases officials.
Fans who don’t request a visa to sojourn nan US whitethorn still beryllium made to supply their societal media history and different individual accusation upon introduction – a move supporters’ groups criticized arsenic “unacceptable” past year. EB
Is it imaginable immoderate countries will boycott nan World Cup?
In January, arsenic Trump intensified his threats to annex Greenland, nan heads of astir 20 European shot federations were said to person discussed nan anticipation of a Uefa-led boycott. An existent European boycott, though, is highly improbable – moreover arsenic nan database of events that would justify an world rebuttal of nan US grew to include nan kidnapping of Venezuela’s president, recreation bans, killings of citizens by national agents and warfare successful nan Middle East.
As for Iran? See below. EB
Will Iran play?
It’s unclear. In nan weeks since nan US and Israel began launching airstrikes connected Iran successful February, officials person fixed mixed messages connected whether nan state will participate successful nan World Cup. In March, nan federation president said Iran would “boycott nan United States” but “not nan World Cup”, raising nan anticipation of relocating nan team’s matches to Mexico. (Iran are scheduled to play 2 group-stage games successful California and 1 successful Seattle.) In a caller brace of friendlies, Iranian players and coaches held pictures of children and mini backpacks to grant nan victims of US and Israeli airstrikes.
Infantino said connected Tuesday that Iran “are going to play successful nan World Cup” and that location was nary “Plans B aliases C” regarding their participation. Last month, Trump said Iran should not play successful nan World Cup “for their ain life and safety”. EB
What does Trump’s World Cup taskforce really do?
Last spring, Trump established a taskforce to coordinate national efforts astir nan tournament. Andrew Giuliani, boy of erstwhile New York City politician Rudy Giuliani, leads nan group, pinch erstwhile US Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro connected arsenic an adviser. The taskforce was astir precocious successful nan news erstwhile $625m requested by nan 11 US big cities to screen information costs was held up by nan ongoing partial shutdown of nan Department of Homeland Security. After outcry from big metropolis representatives and elected officials, those costs were released to nan big cities connected 12 March. EB
They do! Football is simply a basal portion of nan American experience, pinch millions gathering each Sunday to watch grown men successful pads smash into each different successful hunt of a touchdown … ohio … oh, right. Yeah, they for illustration shot arsenic well. PM
Are nan USMNT immoderate good?
The short reply is: maybe? This US squad are wide considered to beryllium nan astir talented successful nan history of nan men’s program, pinch much players successful cardinal roles astatine apical European clubs than ever before. But they person yet to move that talent into coherent results, proving conscionable arsenic tin of beating Uruguay 5-1 arsenic they are of losing to Belgium 5-2. Expectations will beryllium precocious for a location World Cup, but it’s conscionable arsenic easy to spot them wilting arsenic making a historical run. AA
Why is an Argentinian successful complaint of nan US men’s nationalist team?
The US has a agelong history of overseas and dual-national coaches, and Pochettino is nan latest import to effort to get thing retired of nan Yanks. His South American upbringing and English Premier League pedigree made him, to some, an perfect campaigner to effort to yet push nan US men to nan adjacent level. PM
Which state has won nan astir World Cups?
Brazil person won nan tourney a grounds 5 times. Germany and Italy person won nan tourney connected 4 occasions, while Argentina person done it 3 times. PM
How galore teams, cities and stadiums were progressive successful nan first World Cup?
The 1930 World Cup, played successful Uruguay, was group to beryllium a 16-team matter until Japan and Thailand (then known arsenic Siam) pulled out. Egypt missed nan tourney aft nan squad virtually missed their vessel to South America. Games were each played successful Montevideo, pinch nan mostly played astatine Estadio Centenario – nan venue is Fifa’s only recognized “historical monument of world football” and will big nan opening lucifer of nan 2030 World Cup. PM
Is this nan first clip nan World Cup has been hosted by 3 countries?
Yes, though nan number of big nations will look downright quaint successful 4 years’ time. The 2026 installment is conscionable nan 2nd to spot aggregate nations stock custody of a tournament, joining 2002’s split-hosting by Japan and South Korea. The 2030 World Cup will beryllium held successful six different countries crossed 3 different continents, successful Fifa’s sprawling effort to commemorate nan tournament’s 100th anniversary: Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay successful South America; Portugal and Spain successful Europe; and Morocco successful Africa. JR
Can anyone break Just Fontaine’s grounds of 13 goals astatine a World Cup?
The preamble of an further crippled – nan information of 32 – surely puts this grounds into greater jeopardy. Those matchups will impact each squad who beforehand from nan group stage, creating nan imaginable for tourney favorites to look different third-place finisher earlier getting connected pinch nan business end. With a finalist now slated to play 8 games, an eager scorer would request to mean 1.75 goals per crippled to group nan grounds – a spot easier to propulsion disconnected than Fontaine’s clip of 2.2 successful 1958. JR
What’s nan biggest blowout successful World Cup history?
Hungary’s 10-1 blowout against El Salvador successful nan group shape of nan 1982 World Cup is simply a statistician’s fever dream. It’s nan only clip a squad person scored 10 aliases much goals successful a men’s World Cup, and nan only clip a substitute successful a lucifer has scored a hat-trick. El Salvador was successful nan early stages of a civilian warfare and its authorities filled 2 of nan team’s 22 roster spots pinch a brace of national officials who simply wanted to spell connected vacation. The rout was truthful complete that nan Salvadoran squad played an impromptu friends against nan waiters astatine their edifice afterwards to thief build their confidence. It didn’t work, arsenic La Selecta were sent packing soon after. PM
Who is nan champion ever antheral player?
It’s a matter of mentation that tin capable hours of different dormant aerial astatine bars astir nan world. Pelé still carries sizeable cachet for elevating nan sport’s floor plan while scoring goals for fun. Maradona is fiercely beloved for pushing Argentina to their 2nd World Cup title. The legacies of some men are securely preserved moreover aft their deaths successful 2022 and 2020, respectively. Since winning nan 2022 World Cup, Messi seems to person won nan debates of who’s nan “best of this era” betwixt him and Ronaldo, though either 1 remains a celebrated answer. Others often cited among nan very champion successful nan men’s crippled see Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Lev Yashin, Eusébio, Ronaldo Nazário and Ferenc Puskás. JR
How adjacent to winning nan World Cup person nan US got?
Way backmost successful 1930, nan US made nan semi-finals of that very first World Cup successful Uruguay. The US precocious straight into nan semis aft beating Belgium and Paraguay successful group play, and their 6-1, tournament-ending nonaccomplishment to Argentina was 1 of nan astir convulsive World Cup matches ever played. US guardant Billy Gonsalves – known past arsenic nan “Babe Ruth of American soccer” – called nan match, simply, “a murder”. PM
What happened to nan US erstwhile they were hosts successful 1994?
The US were among nan surprises of that tournament, riding a daze consequence against dark-horse favorites Colombia successful nan group shape to make nan information of 16. They fell to Brazil successful nan information of 16 successful a hard-fought, 1-0 conflict that was a batch little adjacent than nan scoreline suggested. Nevertheless, nan respectable showing was instrumental successful pushing on soccer’s still-burgeoning fame successful nan US. PM
Did hosting nan World Cup successful 1994 really alteration shot successful nan US?
No arena successful nan history of American men’s shot had a much fundamental impact connected nan trajectory of nan crippled successful nan US than nan ’94 tourney did. Major League Soccer was formed connected nan backmost of nan tournament and liking successful nan country’s nationalist squad skyrocketed arsenic well. It besides proved to nan world, erstwhile and for all, that America was a viable marketplace for nan sport, and nan tourney remains (until this one, astatine least) nan astir well-attended World Cup successful history. PM
What is VAR?
Your caller champion friend, nan Video Assistant Referee. It’s soccer’s type of instant replay, pinch nan VAR (or “Var”, if you must), being a existent personification whose occupation it is to beryllium successful a room pinch a batch of TV screens, watching nan aforesaid crippled you are, and telephone retired incorrect decisions. This will occasionally consequence successful awesome goals that you’ve already celebrated being disallowed owed to immoderate insignificant infraction, and for illustration each instant replay systems, it will beryllium frustrating astatine slightest arsenic often arsenic it is useful. AA
What are nan mascots for this World Cup?
Say hullo to Clutch nan Bald Eagle (US), Zayu nan Jaguar (Mexico) and Maple nan Moose (Canada), nan latest additions to nan time-honored contented of anthropomorphic animal World Cup mascots. Remember Striker? EB
Are half-times going to beryllium longer successful nan US truthful shows tin return spot connected nan pitch?
For nan astir part, no. An exception: Fifa has said it will beryllium staging an inaugural World Cup last half-time show. The 2024 Copa América final successful Miami had a half-time show starring Shakira and stretched nan break from its modular 15 minutes to 26. Last year’s Club World Cup last featured J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, Coldplay and Emmanuel Kelly astatine half-time. Coldplay’s Chris Martin is said to beryllium progressive successful nan accumulation for nan World Cup last festivities. EB
Why is everyone joking astir Diana Ross?
Italian fable Roberto Baggio whitethorn person written himself into footballing infamy successful 1994 erstwhile he missed a punishment to costs Italy nan title, but Baggio’s grounded effort wasn’t moreover nan worst punishment of nan tournament. During nan opening ceremony, psyche fable Diana Ross tried to put 1 connected frame, failing miserably. At slightest Baggio sewage benignant of close. PM
What happens to nan World Cup trophy betwixt tournaments?
It is paraded astir nan world to beryllium touched “by winners only,” according to Infantino – who besides made a large show of letting Trump touch nan trophy successful nan Oval Office. AA
When do nan kits travel out?
They’re out! Many of them, astatine least. Nike, Adidas and Puma person released their slates. Some shirts receiving early praise: Curaçao away, US home, South Africa away, Germany location and Japan away. EB
What is nan charismatic opus and why isn’t it arsenic bully arsenic Waka Waka?
We don’t cognize yet. At nan World Cup tie successful December, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger dueted connected a opus called Desire, which Fifa calls its “official anthem” to beryllium played earlier each tournaments. The first opus of Fifa’s charismatic 2026 World Cup medium was released connected 17 March, a pop-country-worship-lite tune called Lighter featuring American creator Jelly Roll and Mexican vocalist Carín León. The lyrics didn’t precisely shriek “football”. Among them: “Wear maine down for illustration a broke-down Chevy” and “Same aged boots, but they’re disconnected nan crushed / devil effort to drawback maine now”. We’ll spot what nan remainder of nan medium has to offer, but hopes aren’t high. EB
What’s nan champion spot to publication astir nan World Cup?
The Guardian, of course. You tin find each of our World Cup tagged contented here. Follow nan Football Weekly podcast here. Subscribe to nan Football Daily newsletter here. Subscribe to Soccer pinch Jonathan Wilson here. And a caller offering: motion up for nan World Behind nan Cup newsletter pinch Jonathan Wilson and friends here.
