The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be one of a kind when it kicks off on 11 June, as it brings with it a slew of firsts ahead of co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa in the opening match.
This year's tournament which will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States boasts of being the largest so far in the history of the tournament.
It also brings with it a record number of travel (teams have to travel across an entire continet), new rules including mandatory hydration breaks, and the most controversial yet as teams, referees and fans naviagate complex visa rules of host country USA.
Nevertheless, here are five new things to look out for over the next month.
The 2026 tournament will feature 48 teams, up from 32 in previous editions.
The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides from each group and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 32.
The expanded format has opened the door for several newcomers. Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao will all be making their World Cup debuts.
Fun Fact: Curaçao are the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup with a population of around 156,000 people.
It’s pretty annoying when a player is substituted and they literally take ages to walk off, right?
Well, a new rule aimed at reducing time-wasting will require substituted players to leave the pitch within 10 seconds using the nearest exit point.
If a player fails to do so, their replacement will have to wait at least one minute until the next stoppage in play before being waved on by the referee.
Meaning a player taking too long to leave the pitch could leave their team down to 10 men.
FIFA will introduce enhanced semi-automated offside technology to help speed up decision-making.
Now a real-time audio alert will be sent to the assistant if a player is more than 10cm offside. But VAR will still be there to help referees when players are a toenail or strand of hair offside.
Police in Mexico plan to deploy robotic dogs during the tournament as part of efforts to improve security.
The four-legged machines are designed to enter potentially dangerous areas and transmit live video back to officers, allowing them to assess situations before intervening.
The purpose of the robot dogs is “to protect the physical safety of officers”, Guadalupe Mayor Héctor García said.
This year’s final will have an NFL Super Bowl-style half-time show for the first time.
Well the final is in New York’s MetLife Stadium.
If you’re not a massive football fan but want to see BTS, Madonna and Shakira perform, then put the 19 July down in your diary.
The 2026 tournament could mark the final World Cup appearances for some of the best players to ever play the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, Luka Modrić, 40, Lionel Messi, 39, Robert Lewandowski, 37 – this summer could be their last dance.
For Ronaldo and Messi, in particular, it may represent one last chance to add to their remarkable legacies on football's biggest stage.
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Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing to deploy additional North Korean forces on its territory and has received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang, arguing that their growing military cooperation poses a threat beyond Ukraine.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Ukraine has agreed to refrain from targeting certain tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported, although Kyiv has continued strikes on Russian targets at the port.
Taiwan has criticised a planned joint naval exercise involving China and Indonesia near its eastern waters, describing it as a politically charged move designed to strengthen Beijing's claims over areas surrounding the island.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged residential buildings, port infrastructure and grain facilities, Russian officials and industry sources said on Wednesday.
Romanian military divers have destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found drifting near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone.
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