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When and where will 2026 FIFA World Cup be played?
- Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final
- Messi and Co won the final on penalties
- The next World Cup is scheduled to be played in 2026
FIFA World Cup 2022, which recently concluded in Qatar, went down as one of the most memorable tournaments in history. The 2022 edition included 64 matches contested by 32 nations across eight stadiums over the course of 29 days.
The Qatar World Cup saw a total of 172 goals scored, with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi finishing as the top two scorers with eight and seven goals each in the tournament. A six-goal thriller, with nerve-wracking moments, the final between France and Argentina went down as possibly the best-ever World Cup final. Argentina defeated the reigning champions on penalties 4-2 to lift their third World Cup title, their first since 1986.
Had France beaten Argentina, they too would have lifted the World Cup trophy for the third time in their history, after wins in 1998 and 2018. France would have also become the first team since Brazil in 2002 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
While all games this time around were played within an hour's drive of each other, the next World Cup will be played across three countries - Canada, the United States, and Mexico. And it will be an expanded competition, with 16 additional teams taking part, meaning more matches. However, the tournament will still be played out within five weeks from mid-June 2026.
One of the concerns about the tournament will be the amount of travel the players and fans will have to do, with the World Cup being held in as many as 11 cities in the US, along with three venues in Mexico and two in Canada.
Sustainability will, certainly, be an important issue to look into with the considerable number of flights needed to transport teams, fans, media and Fifa officials across three nations.
FIFA are also increasing the number of teams from 32 to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, meaning more money will be generated through sponsorships, merchandising, ticket sales, and broadcast revenues, with Fifa expecting to earn $11billion over the four-year cycle up to December 2026, according to BBC Sport.
The expanded format is expected to increase competing nations from Africa and Asia.
In 2022, there were a total of 11 teams from across the two confederations at the finals - including Qatar, who entered the tournament automatically as hosts, and Australia, who took part in the Asian qualifiers before defeating Peru in an intercontinental play-off.
In 2026, there will be a minimum of 17 teams from across the two confederations - and there could be as many as 19, depending on which two countries win through the six-team intercontinental play-offs for the finals.
A minimum of six Concacaf teams will qualify for the World Cup, including Canada, Mexico and the United States as hosts - and the federation will have two sides in the play-offs as well.
