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(clockwise from top left) Lionel Messi; the World Cup trophy; Shakira; Iran's national team; and Fifa president Gianni Infantino and US president Donald Trump. Alamy Stock Photo
Countdown to Kickoff
48 teams, extreme heat and a final half-time show - your guide to World Cup 2026
Fifa has promised this 23rd World Cup will be the biggest and best yet, but there has been plenty of controversy surrounding the tournament.
LAST UPDATE | 11 Jun
THE COUNTDOWN TO kick off at World Cup 2026 is well and truly on.
The biggest tournament in football gets underway with Mexico hosting South Africa at the Azteca Stadium tonight. In just over five weeks, the final will take place in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, 19 July.
In a first for the competition, Mexico is one of three host nations alongside the United States and Canada. The 104 games will be spread across 16 cities and span four different timezones, with millions of fans expected to attend.
Fifa has promised this 23rd World Cup will be the biggest and best yet, but there has been plenty of controversy surrounding the event – not least of all due to the US-Israel war on Iran, and the exorbitant ticket prices.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this summer’s tournament.
What countries are taking part?
For the first time, 48 nations will be competing for the biggest trophy in football – the highest amount for any World Cup, and up from 32 teams when Qatar hosted in 2022.
Sadly, we all know by now that Ireland will not be among them (and no, we’re still not over it).
The countries will be divided into 12 groups of four, where each team will play each other once – meaning they will play three matches each. The groups can be found here.
The greatest show in the world is ready. Are you? 🏆#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ISxLhuLUkm
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 1, 2026
The top two nations from each group will progress to the Round of 32, with the best eight third-place finishers in the 12 groups also progressing to this next stage.
The Round of 32 is the knockout stage of the competition. This is where, if teams are still level at 90 minutes, the games will go to extra time, and penalties if they’re still level after another 30 minutes.
One team will be eliminated after every game, eventually culminating in the final on 19 July.
What time are the matches on?
Given where the tournament is being held this year, the timings are not ideal for Irish fans. The time difference means some games will be kicking off in the early hours of the morning.
Looking at the group stages, there will be between three and five games being played every day. The first will kick off at either 5pm or 6pm Irish time, followed by games from 8pm right through to 2am or 3am.
Timings for the knockout stages from 28 June and the quarter-finals from 9 July will be more accommodating for Irish viewers. Those planning on tuning in for the later stages of the tournament can catch most games in the late afternoon and evening.
A full list of fixtures along with what time they are being shown can be found here.
If you’re wondering where to watch the games, RTÉ have got you covered. They will have free-to-air coverage of all 104 games on the RTÉ Player, with games also being shown on RTÉ 2 and highlights on RTÉ Online and RTÉ Radio 1.
Who are the favourites?
At the moment, France are bookies’ favourite to lift the trophy. Didier Deschamps’ star-studded squad, which includes Kylian Mbappé, will be looking to make it to their third final in a row.
European champions Spain, who last won the World Cup in 2010, are being tipped to do well this year, with all eyes on teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to do something special.
Brazil – the most successful team in World Cup history with five overall wins – are also among the favourites.
Many will be watching to see if Thomas Tuchel’s England side that is packed full of Premier League talent can end 60 years of hurt. Could it finally be coming home? We doubt it.
Meanwhile, while reigning champions Argentina and Roberto Martínez’s Portugal are among the top picks to claim victory, football fans may have another reason to want these sides to do well.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (38) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (41), both legends of the game, will each make their sixth appearances at a World Cup this year, in what many believe will be their last. Could we see them face each other?
Are there any controversies at this year’s tournament?
Where do we begin?
Let’s start with the ticket costs. They are the highest in World Cup history by far, something Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended.
The most expensive ticket for the final in 2022 was around $1,600 (€1,000) at face value. This year, the most expensive ticket for the final is about $11,000 (€9,000) at its original price. In April, Fifa’s own World Cup resale website advertised four tickets to the 19 July final at a cost of more than $2 million (€1.71 million) each.
The saga has led to many debates about capitalistic greed in the run-up to the tournament. Just last week, Fifa announced that it would allow fans to bring one “soft, plastic” disposable water bottle into World Cup venues in a U-turn on an earlier ban on refillable bottles sparked an outcry.
Then there’s the Trump factor. Despite Fifa supposedly being politically neutral, Infantino has become quite cosy with the US president. He attended his inauguration in January last year, and the pair agreed between themselves to host the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Centre in Washington last December.
This is where, after Trump voiced his disappointment at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Infantino presented him with Fifa’s inaugural peace prize.
Three months later, Trump was bombing Iran alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It’s been over 100 days since the fresh war in the Middle East began, and despite question marks over whether they would be competing at all, Iran are taking part in the tournament – though some staff members have reportedly yet to receive visas.
Security concerns have also been heightened, with fears about ICE agents being present turning fans off going. The Trump administration has said that while federal agents will be present during the tournament, immigration enforcement will not occur.
What else should I look out for?
It’s going to be hot. Forecasters have warned that fans could face health risks from extreme heat at open-air venues.
A report published by the World Weather Attribution research group last month estimated that 26 of 104 games at the World Cup are likely to be played in conditions where the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) exceeds 26C.
WBGT is a measure of heat stress on the human body which combines temperature, humidity, wind and sunlight.
Fifa has announced a number of measures to try to manage the conditions, including delaying kick-off times to when temperatures drop, hydration breaks for players and the use of cooling systems in the stadiums.
Is there really going to be a half-time show at the final?
Well yes. It is in the United States, after all.
Madonna, Shakira and BTS are set to perform at the first ever World Cup half-time show, which has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Fifa has confirmed that characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also make an appearance, but that’s all the information we have about that so far.
It likely means the typical 15-minute half-time break will be stretched to around 25 or 30 minutes.
If you’re looking forward to seeing the historic spectacle, make sure you’re not watching on BBC or ITV: both broadcasters have already announced that they will be ignoring it in favour of analysis.
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