FIFA World Cup 2026: When does it start, who are the favourites, what time do the Socceroos play?

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest single-sport event on the planet and has delivered numerous historical moments, from Diego Maradona’s “hand of God” in 1986 to Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi.

2026 will be the biggest and most expensive World Cup to date, spread across Mexico, the United States, and Canada, with 48 teams competing from the biggest and best to some of the globe’s smallest countries.

Australia will be right in there, named in a group with co-host the United States.

Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.

When and where is the 2026 World Cup?

The World Cup will officially start with the opening ceremony at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Friday morning (AEST), which will precede the tournament’s first match between Mexico and South Africa at 5am.

The 83,000 seat stadium is the first to be used in three World Cups and hosted the final in 1970 and 1986.

The United States and Canada will have to wait until the following day for their first matches, with Toronto Stadium hosting Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Los Angeles Stadium holding USA v Paraguay.

The final will be held at New York New Jersey Stadium, which is the home of NFL teams New York Giants and New York Jets.

When are the Socceroos playing?

Group stage

• Australia vs Türkiye: Saturday June 13, 9pm Pacific Time, BC Place, Vancouver
  • 2pm AEST/ 1:30pm ACST/ 12pm AWST, Sunday June 14
• Australia vs USA: Friday June 19, 12pm Pacific Time, Seattle Stadium
  • 5am AEST/ 4:30am ACST/ 3am AWST, Saturday June 20
• Australia vs Paraguay: Thursday June 25, 7pm Pacific Time, San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
  • 12pm AEST/ 11:30am ACST/ 10am AWST, Friday, June 26

Knockout stage

• If the Socceroos finish on top of their group they’d remain in San Francisco for a round of 32 game against the side that finishes third in group B, E, F, I or J. They would then go to Seattle, Los Angeles and Dallas if they kept winning, before either the final in New Jersey or the bronze medal match in Miami.
• If they finish second in their group they will head to Dallas and play the winner of group E. Then it’s off to Philadelphia, Boston and Dallas before the final or bronze medal match.
• If Australia finishes third and are among the eight best third-placed sides they will play a round of 32 game in either Boston, New Jersey or Kansas City.

How can I watch or listen?

ABC Sport will have a live blog every day of the World Cup, from the first game to the last, including standalone blogs on the Socceroos games.

You can also find comprehensive coverage of all other games and key stories that emerge throughout across all ABC News platforms.

SBS has the TV/streaming rights for the tournament.

Federation Square will once again be Melbourne’s live site for the tournament, but rest assured if you aren’t in that city there are many other places around the country gearing up for the Socceroos.

For a full list of live sites click here.

Who’s playing for the Socceroos?

Australia has named a 26-player squad for the World Cup. We’ve done the heavy lifting and created this nifty pocket guide of every player.

Which countries are competing?

48 countries have qualified for this expanded World Cup, making it the biggest in history.

Australia earned direct qualification to the tournament after finishing second in its Asian Football Confederation group. USA, Canada and Mexico automatically qualified as hosts.

Aside from the big names at the tournament, the expanded nature of the tournament has allowed some unlikely countries to qualify. 

Curacao, which played against Australia in March, is the smallest ever nation to qualify for the tournament. The tiny Carribean island has a population roughly half the size of the city of Canberra, or 156,000 in real terms.

They are joined in the Americas by Cape Verde, which is the third smallest nation to ever qualify. Iceland is the second in 2018.

There’s also been a political backdrop to the nations competing at the World Cup with Iran’s participation uncertain as the war in the Middle East unfolded.

There were negotiations to move Iran’s games out of the United States with the country due to play in Inglewood, California and Seattle. The side was also set to be based in Tuscon, Arizona, for the duration of the tournament. Then there was the suggestion the country could be replaced by four-time champions Italy, though that was quickly dismissed.

As late as May, Iran was still seeking guarantees from FIFA around its participation, including that all players, coaches and officials, including those who have served with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, would receive visas. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation in the United States and Canada.

Here is a complete list of competing nations sorted by region:

Who are the favourites?

Australia is considered a massive outsider to win the World Cup, which is understandable considering the Socceroos have only got out of their group twice in history and never beyond the first knockout stage.

Many pundits have reigning European Championship winner Spain as the favourite, with France and England close behind.

Defending champion Argentina is also up there, along with Brazil.

The other race that piques interest is the Golden Boot winner for most goals scored during the tournament.

Obviously, being part of a side that goes deep into the World Cup is an advantage, which makes France forward Kylian Mbappe the favourite.

England star Harry Kane is also a chance, but then it’s a fair way back to Argentina legend Lionel Messi.

Manchester City’s prolific goalscorer Erling Haaland could be an outside chance depending on how deep Norway progresses in the tournament. This will change a lot as the tournament unfolds.

What is the format?

There are 12 groups of four teams. They’ll each play each other once in the group stage, and the top two sides from each group will go into the knockout stage.

They will be joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

Due to the expanded 48-team tournament the knockout stage will start with the round of 32 before the usual round of 16 clashes.

Sixteen cities will host games across the three countries, with only Guadalajara in Mexico not hosting a knockout stage match.

Dallas and Atlanta will host the semi-finals, before the third-placed game is held in Miami.

The final is in New Jersey, eight kilometres outside New York City.