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2026 World Cup Kicks Off Tonight with New Format and Geopolitical Hosting
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin tonight with the Mexico-South Africa match, co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The first tournament featuring 48 teams will conclude with the final on July 19.
The countdown has ended for one of football's biggest events, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, will open tonight with a match between Mexico and South Africa.
The opening game will take place at the 83,000-capacity Mexico City Stadium at 22:00 TRT and will be broadcast live on TRT 1. This first match recalls the opening of the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa 16 years ago, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
New 48-Team Format
The 2026 World Cup will be played for the first time in history with 12 groups and 48 teams. Each team will play three matches in the group stage; the top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 32, and the best third-placed teams will also have a chance to continue.
A total of 104 matches will be played throughout the tournament. Matches will be held in 16 different stadiums across the three host countries. The largest stadium is the 94,000-capacity Dallas Stadium, while the smallest is the 45,000-capacity stadium in Toronto.
Final at New York New Jersey Stadium
The tournament final will be held on Sunday, July 19, at the New York New Jersey Stadium. The event brings together many countries from different continents, with several teams making their World Cup debut.
Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Cape Verde will appear in the World Cup for the first time. Europe will be the continent with the most teams represented in the tournament.
Turkey in Group D
Turkey will return to the World Cup after 24 years, having finished third in the 2002 tournament. The national team will face the USA, Australia, and Paraguay in Group D.
The matches in Group D will be among the most closely watched aspects of the tournament for Turkey. The national team's performance in the group stage will be closely followed by both the sports community and fans.
Rising Economic Expectations
FIFA expects revenue to rise from $7 billion in the 2022 Qatar World Cup to $11 billion in 2026. The last tournament was held in Qatar, where Argentina won the final against France on penalties.
Brazil holds the record for the most World Cup titles with five trophies, while Miroslav Klose is the top scorer with 16 goals. The first top scorer was Argentine Guillermo Stabile, who scored 8 goals.
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