FIFA World Cup 2026 Officially Begins: Everything You Need to Know About Football's Biggest Event

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicked off on June 11, 2026, marking a new era in the history of the world's greatest football tournament.

This 23rd edition will run until July 19, 2026, making it the longest World Cup ever, with a duration of 39 days.

For the first time, this major tournament will be co-hosted by three host nations: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

This three-nation collaboration breaks the tradition of hosting the tournament by one or two countries.

This quadrennial event also features a significantly expanded competition format, with the number of participating teams increasing to 48 and a total of 104 matches to be played, significantly more than in previous editions.

The tournament's opening match played on June 11, 2026, between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium, where Los Tricolores won 2-0 thanks to goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.

The World Cup opening ceremony took place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, marking the countdown to the opening group match between Mexico and South Africa.

Latin music and dancing accompanied a large model of the World Cup trophy in the center of the field, ahead of 104 matches over the next 39 days, which will culminate in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

To cap off the event, Colombian star Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy performed "Dai Dai" — an Italian slang term meaning "let's go" or "give it your all" — the tournament's official song, to the cheers of the crowd.

The 2026 World Cup makes history as the first edition to feature three host nations.

A total of 16 cities from these three countries will host matches, with 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

Mexico holds the record as the first country to host or co-host the World Cup three times, after previously hosting in 1970 and 1986.

Meanwhile, the United States is hosting again after the 1994 edition.

For Canada, this is their first time hosting or co-hosting this prestigious tournament.

The host cities in the United States include Atlanta (Atlanta Stadium), Boston (Boston Stadium), Dallas (Dallas Stadium), Houston (Houston Stadium), Kansas City (Kansas City Stadium), Los Angeles (Los Angeles Stadium), Miami (Miami Stadium), New York/New Jersey (New York/New Jersey Stadium, or MetLife Stadium), Philadelphia (Philadelphia Stadium), Seattle (Seattle Stadium), and the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium).

In Mexico, matches will be held in Guadalajara (Guadalajara Stadium), Mexico City (Mexico City Stadium or Estadio Azteca), and Monterrey (Monterrey Stadium).

Canada will host the tournament in Toronto (Toronto Stadium) and Vancouver (BC Place Vancouver).

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces a new, larger format with 48 participating teams, up from 32 in the previous edition.

These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four. Each team is scheduled to play three matches during the group stage.

The knockout stage has also been expanded, with the top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, advancing to the round of 32.

Under this format, the champions will play eight matches, up from seven in the previous tournament.

The total prize money for the 2026 World Cup has also increased by 50% compared to the 2022 World Cup.

The tournament champion will receive $50 million, while the runner-up will take home $33 million.

The third-placed team will receive $29 million, and the fourth-placed team will receive $27 million.