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With lower than every week to go till the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, the excitement round soccer’s most prestigious match is rising.

The monthlong spectacle, that includes the very best expertise, would be the longest and largest version within the match’s 96-year historical past.

Forward of the 2026 World Cup, Al Jazeera takes a take a look at the highest 5 key speaking factors:

World Cup throughout three nations, in a primary

All males’s World Cup editions between 1930, the inaugural match, and the final one in 2022, had been held in a single host nation, barring 2002 when Japan and South Korea cohosted the match.

This 12 months marks the primary time a FIFA World Cup – males’s or ladies’s – might be performed throughout three nations: the US, Mexico and Canada.

Sixteen stadiums in 16 cities – unfold throughout the jap, western and central areas of North America – will host a whopping 104 matches throughout 39 days.

The 2030 World Cup will even be performed throughout three nations: Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The largest participation pool and an additional knockout spherical

The upcoming World Cup would be the largest and most numerous version up to now, that includes 48 groups.

Amongst these, nations from UEFA (Europe) had essentially the most direct slots (16), adopted by CAF (Africa), which had 9 and AFC (Asia), eight.

Extra groups additionally imply extra matches, and thus the addition of an additional part.

For the primary time in World Cup historical past, groups that make it previous the group stage will start the knockouts with a spherical of 32 conflict.

The World Cup winners this 12 months should undergo eight video games en path to title victory – another than the seven video games that Argentina gained to carry the World Cup in Qatar 4 years in the past.

NFL-style half-time present for the ultimate

This 12 months’s World Cup has a distinctly North American contact to it.

For the primary time in historical past, a soccer World Cup remaining will function a half-time present, impressed by the NFL’s Tremendous Bowl.

Anticipate fireworks to mild up the New York skyline when a pop get together kicks off through the July 19 remaining at MetLife Stadium.

Ok-pop supergroup BTS, Madonna, and Colombian star Shakira will co-headline the programme, whereas British rock band Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin will curate the half-time present, which is reported to be 11 minutes lengthy.

It isn’t the primary time that American soccer’s affect has seeped into what folks within the US name “soccer” – a half-time remaining present was additionally held on the 2025 FIFA Membership World Cup remaining between Chelsea and PSG on the similar venue, that includes performances from rapper Doja Cat, singer J Balvin and others.

The gorgeous kits

The hype across the World Cup this 12 months first began when the groups’ kits dropped in late March.

Jerseys by sportswear large Adidas emerged because the folks’s favorite, due to some lovely designs: from the concentric ribbed sample spreading throughout Japan’s shiny blue dwelling equipment to the lemon yellow away shirt of Curacao, impressed by the colorful buildings discovered within the island’s capital, Willemstad.

Additionally be careful for Argentina’s black and blue away equipment, that includes Fileteado folks artwork type, France’s darkish blue dwelling equipment which has a pristine white collar, and South Africa’s lush gold and forest inexperienced away equipment, adorned with vertical stripes made up of triangular hand-drawn tile patterns.

New pre-game ceremony

Precisely every week earlier than the opening match, FIFA introduced a brand new pre-game ceremony.

Earlier than each World Cup recreation kicks off, all gamers within the matchday squad – not simply the beginning 11 – will line up across the centre circle earlier than the nationwide anthems are performed.

The ceremony, which FIFA stated “transforms the stadium right into a shared stage”, will embody extra-large nation flag banners and can see gamers enter the pitch by way of a devoted arch closest to the tunnel.

“Regardless of the place supporters are seated, every could have a definite and fascinating perspective, with extra-large nation flag banners and on-pitch parts rigorously positioned to contain the group in an genuine and significant manner,” FIFA defined.

Under is an instance of how the pre-game ceremony will take a look at the opening match of the match, Mexico vs South Africa, on June 11 at Mexico Metropolis Stadium.