It’s starting to feel real. In less than a month, fans from around the globe will be tuning in and filling up iconic stadiums for the most popular sporting event in the world: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And a lot will happen between now and June 11. Rosters will be finalized. Teams will begin to assemble for their final tune-up matches. Fans will start to plan out their days and circle which games and star players they’ll follow along through it all.Â
To get you started, here are five key storylines to get you set with just 30 days to go before the world hangs on to every goal and moment.Â
Just eight nations â Brazil (five times), Germany (four), Italy (four), Argentina (three), France (two), Uruguay (two), Spain and England (once each) â have ever lifted the FIFA World Cup on the mens side. Will a ninth be crowned on July 19? Â
For all the pomp and circumstance leading up to the biggest World Cup of all time, it will quickly be forgotten as the action gets underway across three countries and 16 cities as the 48 participating teams embark on a marathon group stage.Â
Upsets will happen. But the business end of the 39-day tournament promises to feature many of the usual suspects: France is FIFAs top-ranked team and the bookies co-favorite to win it all, along with reigning European champions Spain.Â
Argentina, the current World Cup holder and South American champion, will defend the title it narrowly won over France in Qatar in 2022.Â
Brazil is overdue; the record five-time World Cup winner last won in 2002 and has never gone more than 24 years between titles. Interestingly enough, it hoisted the trophy the last time the U.S. held the final in 1994.Â
England is looking for its first major mens trophy since claiming its lone World Cup exactly 60 years ago this summer. The Three Lions have the third-best odds.Â
After that, who knows? Portugal is stacked, but is it capable of becoming the first new World Cup winner since Spain finally scaled the mountain in 2010? Same goes for Belgium, whose so-called golden generation has one last chance to redeem itself after not even reaching the 2022 knockout round. Or how about the Netherlands, a three-time runner-up that lost to Argentina on penalties four years ago in the quarterfinals? We wont have to wait much longer to find out.Â
Theres no question about it: Playing at home helps. Theres a reason that, for decades, no World Cup host nation had failed to survive the first round (South Africa and Qatar missed out in 2010 and 22, respectively). At the Stade de France just outside of Paris in 1998, Les Bleus won the first of their two World Cups. Four years later in 2002, South Korea reached the semis as co-hosts, losing 1-0 to Germany in Seoul. And back in 1994, a hosting American team just hoping to avoid embarrassment shocked the world by beating Colombia before being eliminated by eventual champs Brazil in the knockouts by the same razor-thin margin.
Expectations are far higher for the current U.S. squad. After missing the 2018 event, a new generation led by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams qualified for Qatar and reached the round of 16.Â
Now, on home soil, the bar is higher. The USA’s 2002 quarterfinal run was almost a quarter-century ago now. Is this squad good enough to emulate it?
Fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico have goals of their own. While the Canadians have never won a World Cup game, reaching the knockouts is a must. Mexico will host World Cup games for a record third time, with the iconic 1970 and 1986 editions also held south of the U.S. border. Mexico hasnt reached the quarters since the latter; losing in the round of 16 seven straight times between 1994 and 2018. Returning to the last eight is the clear goal. Still, simply advancing would be an improvement, as El Tri didnt
