Updated 30 December 2025 at 11:25 IST
'The Greatest And Most Inclusive Show': FIFA World Cup 2026 Sets New Benchmark, Confirms President Gianni Infantino
A total of 104 matches will be played in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup across 16 host Cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The tournament will feature 48 teams
The 2026 edition is expected to be bigger and better than all its predecessors. The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by USA, Mexico, and Canada, will kickstart at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026. 104 games across 16 cities in three nations, FIFA knows that a lot is riding on the tournament. The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams is bound to give opportunities to new players and teams to showcase their talent on the grandest stage of them all.
Teams like Uzbekistan and Jordan have secured qualification in the World Cup for the first time, and they will want to make a strong statement heading into the tournament, the biggest in history.
FIFA Receives 150 Million World Cup Ticket Requests
FIFA has been under the scanner and has been scrutinized heavily as far as the pricing of the tickets is concerned. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President, has now hit back at his critics by confirming 150 million ticket requests for the marquee multi-national football tournament. FIFA has reportedly reached this number based on individual credit card entries.
The tickets were opened on December 11, and since then the interest that has been shown has surpassed the previous editions of the World Cup by a big number. Infantino, while addressing the matter, has attributed the ticket requests to a demonstration of football’s universal appeal.
'The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be the greatest and most inclusive show on the planet, with more than 150 million tickets already requested in only the first 15 days, making this edition 30 times oversubscribed from fans from over 200 countries. We are going to make history in North America when we bring the world together like never before in a celebration of unity and the best of football,' said Infantino.
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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi, One Last Time
The greatest era in football will come to an end with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo gearing up to make their sixth and last appearance in the FIFA World Cup. While Messi will start the tournament as the defending champion, Ronaldo will want to give out his all, one last time, to scale mount greatness.
Published By : Jishu Bhattacharya
Published On: 30 December 2025 at 11:25 IST