Everything you need to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup

ALTHOUGH WE LIVE in a nation where ovalball codes rule the roost, the magnitude of the FIFA World Cup cannot be overstated. Need we remind you of the flare-laden scenes in Melbourne’s Federation Square the last time the Socceroos made a run to the Round of 16? Or when Matildas fever swept the nation during their semi-final surge in 2023?

Australia is hardly alone in its love of the World Cup. To put the scale of the event into perspective, the 2022 tournament in Qatar attracted five billion people through total media engagement (that is, through television, streaming and social media), according to FIFA. The final alone was watched by 1.5 billion people, just under 20 per cent of the world’s population.

Now, the tournament heads to the world’s largest media landscape, with more nations represented than ever. The 2026 iteration embraces 48 teams, a far cry from the 13 nations that competed at the inaugural event in 1930. This will, naturally, bring about even higher viewership.

Traditional powerhouses such as France, England, Brazil and Spain remain the leading contenders, but new challengers are emerging, with the likes of Morocco, Japan and Senegal serving as testaments to the growth of the game. And you can never count out two of football’s most legendary figures, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are giving it one more crack at what will likely be their final World Cup appearances, with Argentina and Portugal, respectively.

The Socceroos, meanwhile, are sending a squad packed with young talent and look set to benefit from the tournament’s expansion. Under the new format, up to three teams can progress from any given group to the knockout stages. Drawn in a group lacking a true contender – we’ll take on Türkiye, the USA and Paraguay, in that order – Australia has a better chance than previously of progressing. Then again, that’s not what the bookies reckon: collectively, they rate Australia the long shots of Group D. Still, local hopes are high for the Socceroos. And with a potential new golden generation forming, with stars like Nestory Irankunda, Jordy Bos and Alessandro Circati at the forefront, there is reason for optimism.

If you’re a World Cup newbie – or, as the kids say, a ‘casual’ – the sheer scale of the tournament can seem overwhelming. We’ve enlisted the help of Socceroos legend Harry Kewell, who’s currently serving as the manager of Vietnamese club Hanoi FC and is part of the SBS team for the tournament, to provide everything you need to know, whether you’re watching in person, at the pub or from your couch.

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When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19. The opening game will be played by joint hosts Mexico against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – throwback to the opening game of the 2010 world cup in South Africa, anyone? The final will be played at Metlife Stadium in New York City between the Socceroos and whatever wretched waifs end up in their path – although as Australians we could be biased.

How does the world cup’s new format work?

There will be 104 matches (up from 64), 48 teams (up from 32) and 12 groups of four (up from eight groups). Each team plays three group-stage matches, with the top two teams in each group, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, advancing to the Round of 32. From there, it’s win or go home: knockout matches until the final.

Who do the Socceroos play at the 2026 world cup?

For now only the group stage matches are set in stone. So, we don’t know who the Socceroos will play on their inevitable run to the final, but we do know how that run will begin. Here’s who, when and where the Socceroos will play in the group stage.

Australia v Türkiye. BC Place, Vancouver, Canada. June 14, 2pm AEST – exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Australia v USA. Lumen Field, Seattle, USA. June 20, 5am AEST – exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Australia v Paraguay. Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco, USA. June 26, high noon AEST – exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand.

What are the groups for the 2026 world cup?

That would be quite a list, given the expanded nature of the tournament. So, we’ve condensed them all into the helpful graphic below.

Who will be the best teams to watch at the world cup?

France

As Harry Kewell says a bit further down, France’s “bench would be capable of winning a World Cup”. The nation possesses the deepest talent pool of any team and a wealth of world-class players, with Kylian Mbappé wreaking havoc up front and reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé leading the line. France have made the final at the last two Cups and, as the incumbent world No. 1, are the team to beat.

Argentina

La Albiceleste enter the fray as defending champions with a similar squad to the one that prevailed in Qatar. Since the 2022 World Cup, they’ve won the 2024 Copa América and easily topped the South American World Cup qualifiers, with 12 wins from 18 games. The star man is, of course, Messi, who’ll turn 39 during the tournament but is still capable of producing a sublime performance, especially for his country.

England

The Three Lions have garnered a reputation as ‘nearly’ men. They’ve made it to at least the quarterfinals at the last two World Cups and the final of the last two European Championships but have failed to lift a trophy. But while they’ve fallen short at major tournaments, their ability to consistently make deep runs means they can’t be counted out. With Thomas Tuchel, one of football’s most respected coaches, at the helm and likely 2026 Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane at striker, England can beat anyone on their day.

Portugal

When Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal way back in 2003, the nation was ranked 16th in the world and sat firmly in the second tier of World Cup contenders. Fast-forward to now and they’ve been ranked inside the top 10 for nearly 12 years and enter every tournament as a threat. At 41, Ronaldo is no longer carrying Portugal on his own. But the growth of the team around him means A Seleção has never had a better chance of winning the Big One.

Morocco

Morocco had a fairytale run to the semifinals of the last World Cup, upsetting Belgium, Spain and Portugal along the way. They are currently on a 26-game unbeaten run, with only one loss in their last 42 outings. Morocco were retroactively awarded the 2025 African Cup of Nations trophy after initially losing to Senegal in the final (see ‘Senegal’ paragraph, right). They enter the World Cup ranked 8th in the world, an all-time high, and have proven they can challenge the top nations.

Japan

Outside of Europe and South America, Japan has one of the most talented squads in international football. Their record since the last World Cup speaks for itself: 31 wins, five draws, five losses. Furthermore, Japan haven’t lost to European opposition since 2019, knocking off Spain, Germany and England in that timespan. And late in 2025 they beat Brazil. All things considered, Japan look to have the best chance of any nation outside of Europe and South America of winning the whole shebang.

Spain

Currently ranked second in the world, Spain have had more recent success than France. They won the 2024 Euros, defeating Germany, France, England and Italy en route, and made it to the 2025 Nations League final after getting the better of Les Bleus in an engrossing 5-4 semi-final. With 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri controlling the midfield and 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal (who already has a case for being the world’s best player) up front, Spain will be very hard to beat. Their weakness is their defence, which leaked 11 goals in four games during the 2025 Nations League knockout stage.

Senegal

During the 2025 African Cup of Nations final against Morocco, Senegal’s squad left the pitch and refused to return for 15 minutes after the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco in stoppage time. The players eventually returned to the field, only for the penalty to be saved and Senegal to score the game-winning goal in extra time. The trophy was eventually awarded to Morocco on the basis that by leaving the pitch mid-match, Senegal had effectively forfeited the game. Regardless, ‘beating’ Morocco is no easy feat, and Senegal rose to an all-time high world ranking of 12 earlier in the year.

Norway

While Europe is home to the traditional footballing powerhouses, Norway has never been among them. In fact, they haven’t been to a World Cup since 1998 and have never won a knockout game. Now, however, Norway boasts some of the sport’s biggest stars. Striker Erling Haaland is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the sport, finding the net 16 times in eight matches during qualification. Martin Ødegaard, meanwhile, is one of the game’s most creative midfielders. Their combination helped Norway go undefeated during qualification, topping their group ahead of Italy and ultimately condemning Gli Azzurri to a third-straight World Cup absence. Norway have been dealt a tough draw, plonked in a group that includes France and Senegal. But they still present an attractive dark-horse pick.

Who are the players to watch at the world cup?

Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Yamal was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or for season 2024-25, most of which he played as a 17-year-old. Now 18, he already has a case for being the world’s best player. A shifty winger who can play inside and get numbers on the score sheet, he has 24 goals and 18 assists this season and now heads to his first World Cup as part of one of the most heavily favoured teams.

Erling Haaland (Norway)

Striker Haaland’s ridiculous 16 goals in eight games during the qualifiers was a world-topping haul that has powered Norway to the apex of their group. At a towering 195cm, Haaland has surprising speed and is equally adept with head and boot. If Norway is to make a run, he’ll play a crucial part.

Nestory Irankunda (Australia)

The 20-year-old Australian winger is one of the potential breakout stars of the Cup. A dead-ball specialist, he’s often used as a supersub by the Socceroos, injected late in games when his speed can expose weary defenders.

Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)

Another Scandinavian goal-scoring specialist, Gyökeres is the spearhead of a talented Swedish attack. He scored 54 goals during 2024-25 and proved to be Sweden’s hero during the do-or-die second round of qualification for this World Cup, scoring four times in two games.

Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador)

One of the world’s premier defensive midfielders, Caicedo is the conductor of an Ecuadorian team that finished second in South American World Cup qualification, ahead of traditional powerhouses Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. Ecuador conceded just five goals in 18 matches, a staggering feat made possible by Caicedo, who can make a large portion of the pitch feel impenetrable.

Expert analysis from SBS commentator and Socceroos legend Harry Kewell

ESQ: Given what we’ve seen from the Socceroos recently, how optimistic are you about their chances?

HK: This is the first time in a while where there’s going to be a new format at the World Cup, and I think this format gives a lot of the smaller countries the opportunity to progress deeper in the tournament than before. Looking at how Australia have progressed from when I played to now, we had a bit of a dip but we’ve started to make some progress. We had a strong period under Graham Arnold, and I think we’re going to have the same with Tony Popovic. I think he’s a great coach, a good leader, and I think he’ll have the team ready.

We’ve got a reasonable draw. I think playing Türkiye will be difficult because they are, technically, an unbelievable team. But with our attitude, we can hurt them by being aggressive and really going after them. It’s always going to be hard to play the home nation, but there’s opportunities against the USA to sneak an upset. And then Paraguay: we played them a couple of times during my career and have always performed well, so I like our chances there.

In terms of playing style, how do you expect teams to approach this World Cup? Will it be fast and free-flowing or slower with more build-up play?

What we saw last year with the [FIFA] Club World Cup was that it’s extremely hard for players who are coming off the back of a long season to take it up a gear. I think the games are going to be played at a slower pace. I think there’s going to be a lot more build-up play and it won’t be as fast and furious as many are hoping for. A lot of teams are going to be defensively compact, trying to counterattack and maybe only breaking with one or two people while everyone else is organised. That said, there will always be opportunities for creativity and flair. It’s the differencemakers who produce the most exciting moments, and they’ll still be able to do that even in a slower game.

Are there any players in the Australian team you’re excited to see play?

The guys who can be difference-makers and create the chances to score goals are always my favourite to watch. Nestory Irankunda fits into that category, and he is doing excellent at the moment. Jackson Irvine is my favourite Socceroos player right now. He can just control everything.

What nations would you think are the leading contenders to lift the trophy?

My original pick was England, but they haven’t performed all that well lately. I think Thomas Tuchel is the right manager to get the best out of that team, so they should figure in the mix even if they don’t look like they will right now. Then, I’m really intrigued by Japan. Asian football in general is slowly building momentum, and Japan is spearheading that. They’re playing some very good football, and they have some top talent. Lastly, you can’t go past the likes of France. On paper, they have the best squad in the world. And I think their bench would be capable of winning a World Cup, too. That’s how much depth they have.

This World Cup will likely be the last one for Ronaldo and Messi. Any chance of a fairytale Argentina v Portugal final?

No. How can I say this without everyone coming for me? Football isn’t a fairy tale. You can dream about it, but it’s very unlikely. I’m sorry if that breaks some hearts.

The FIFA World Cup 26™ is live, free & exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand from June 12-July 20.

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