FIFA (WORLD CUP 2026)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marked a milestone in football history as the first edition jointly hosted by three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It was also the first tournament to feature an expanded format of 48 teams and 104 matches. The following details the countries, cities, and 16 official stadiums where the tournament was held:

🇲🇽 Mexico (3 venues / 3 stadiums) Mexico City: Azteca Stadium (Mexico City Stadium) Guadalajara (Zapopan): Akron Stadium.

Monterrey (Guadalupe): BBVA Stadium.

🇨🇦 Canada (2 venues / 2 stadiums): Toronto: BMO Field.

Vancouver: BC Place.

🇺🇸 United States (11 venues / 11 stadiums): New York / New Jersey (East Rutherford): MetLife Stadium (venue of the final)

Dallas (Arlington): AT&T Stadium.

Los Angeles (Inglewood): SoFi Stadium.

Atlanta: Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Miami (Miami Gardens): Hard Rock Stadium. (venue for the third-place game)

Houston: NRG Stadium.

Boston (Foxborough): Gillette Stadium.

Philadelphia: Lincoln Financial Field.

San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara): Levi's Stadium.

Seattle: Lumen Field.

Kansas City: Arrowhead Stadium.

The current design of the trophy (which replaced the Jules Rimet trophy in 1974) has the following characteristics in its appearance:

Main design: The sculpture depicts two human figures spiraling upwards, arms raised, supporting the planet Earth above. The figures appear to be in a moment of celebration and victory.

Material: It is made of solid 18-karat gold, which gives it its characteristic yellow metallic shine.

Base: The bottom has a flared base containing two inlaid green rings. These rings are made of malachite, a semiprecious stone. Engraved beneath the base (on the underside) are the years and names of all the teams that have won the tournament since 1974.

Measurements: It measures 36.8 centimeters in height. Weight: It weighs exactly 6.142 kilograms. Creator: It was designed by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga.

Stage 2: The Official Tournament (How to survive the World Cup): Once the 48 teams arrive at the World Cup, the tournament is divided into two decisive phases:

1. The Group Stage: The 48 countries are divided by a draw into 12 groups of 4 teams each. Within each group, everyone plays against everyone else (each country plays 3 matches).

For each victory you earn 3 points, for a draw 1 point, and for a defeat 0 points.

Who qualifies?: The top two teams from each group advance to the next round, plus the 8 best third-place teams.

Who doesn't qualify?: Those who finish last in their group, and the worst third-place finishers, pack their bags and are eliminated from the World Cup.

2. The Direct Elimination (Knockout) Phase: Thirty-two teams reach this stage. From here on, the points system and ties are eliminated. It's "do or die" in sporting terms.

The Format: Teams play a single-elimination match in different rounds: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and the Grand Final.

Qualify: The team that wins the match advances to the next round.

Not qualifying: The losing team is instantly eliminated from the tournament (except for those who lose in the semi-finals, who play an extra game for third place).

What happens if there's a tie?: If the match is tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time, extra time (two 15-minute periods) is played. If the tie persists, the match is decided by a penalty shootout. The winner of the penalty shootout advances, and the loser is eliminated.

The qualifying and non-qualifying process is divided into two main stages. The first takes place in the years leading up to the tournament, where teams earn the right to participate. The second occurs during the tournament itself, where teams fight to avoid elimination and reach the grand final. Here I explain how each stage works, taking into account the current 48-team format (which debuted at the 2026 North American World Cup):

Stage 1: The Qualifiers (How to get to the World Cup): FIFA has 211 member countries, but not all of them can go to the World Cup. They have to earn their place by competing in their respective continents.

The Quotas: FIFA allocates a specific number of "slots" (places) to each of the six continental confederations for the World Cup. For example, Europe (UEFA) has more slots than South America (CONMEBOL) because it has many more member countries.

The Qualifiers: Each continent organizes its own qualifying tournament, which usually lasts about two or three years.

Qualifying or not qualifying: The teams that finish in the top spots of their continent qualify directly for the World Cup. Those that finish lower are eliminated. Some teams that just miss out go to a "Playoff" (a final opportunity where they play against countries from other continents for the last remaining spots).

The Host: The country (or countries) that organizes the World Cup qualifies automatically without having to play in the qualifiers.

4. Identity Confusion: If the referee makes a mistake and shows a yellow or red card to the wrong player from the offending team, VAR immediately alerts him to correct the error and sanction the player who actually committed the foul.

What is the exact protocol? The intervention process is not arbitrary; it follows very clear rules so as not to disrupt the rhythm of the game:

The silent check: The VAR team reviews all plays related to the four points above in a video review room (VOR). If everything is in order, they say nothing and the game continues.

The "Clear and Obvious Error": VAR will only call the main referee if it believes they have made a "clear, obvious, and manifest error" or if they have missed a "serious, unnoticed incident." They do not intervene in plays involving subjective interpretation where the referee's decision is justifiable. Factual Decision vs. On-Screen Review (OFR):

Factual: If the error is an objective fact (e.g., a marginal offside or whether a foul was inside or outside the area), the VAR informs the referee through the earpiece and the referee changes the decision directly without going to look at the monitor.

On-field review: If the play is open to interpretation (e.g., the intensity of a foul for a red card or whether a handball was deliberate), the VAR invites the referee to review the play on the monitor at field level.

The final decision: The on-field referee has the ultimate authority. VAR only "recommends" or "assists." After reviewing the monitor, the on-field referee always has the final say and can decide to uphold their original decision or change it.

The VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system operates under a very strict philosophy established by the IFAB: "minimal interference, maximum benefit." Its objective is not to re-referee the entire match or stop play for every minor foul, but rather to prevent sporting scandals and correct human errors that alter the outcome.

To ensure this, the rules prohibit VAR from intervening in any play. It is only allowed to act in four specific situations that change the course of a match.

The 4 situations in which VAR intervenes:

1. Goals / No goals: VAR automatically reviews everything that happens in the attacking phase that ends in a goal. It can disallow a goal if it detects: An offside in the build-up of the play.

A foul committed by the attacking team before scoring.

That the ball went out of bounds in the previous play.

The ball did not completely cross the goal line.

2. Penalties / No penalties: It is reviewed to ensure that non-existent penalties are not awarded or that clear fouls inside the penalty area are not overlooked. VAR intervenes if: The foul occurred outside the area, but the referee awarded a penalty (or vice versa).

There was a prior foul in the construction of the play that invalidates the penalty.

The ball went out of bounds before the foul.

There was an infraction by the goalkeeper or the kicker during the taking of a penalty.

3. Direct Red Cards: VAR only intervenes in cases of direct red cards. It cannot intervene to overturn or revoke yellow cards, even if that second yellow card results in a sending-off (unless the player's identity is mistaken). Direct red card reviews include:

Serious rough play or violent conduct (e.g., aggression without a ball).

Preventing an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (known as DOGSO).

4. Fouls and cards (Rule 12): The referee penalizes actions such as kicking, pushing, holding an opponent, or deliberately touching the ball with the hand or arm (except for the goalkeeper within their own penalty area). Depending on the severity of the foul, cards are used.

Yellow Card: This is a formal warning. It is given for reckless fouls, stopping a promising attack, deliberately delaying the game, or dissent.

Red Card: This means immediate expulsion from the match, leaving the team with one less player. It occurs for serious foul play (endangering the physical integrity of the opponent), violent conduct, insults, preventing an imminent goal with the hand, or, most commonly, for receiving a second yellow card in the same match.

The official universal rules are divided into 17 "Rules of the Game." To avoid making you read a whole manual, here's a summary of the most fundamental ones to help you understand how the sport works:

1. The field and the players (Rules 1 and 3): The field: It must be rectangular, with natural or artificial grass. For international matches, it must measure between 100 and 110 meters long by 64 to 75 meters wide. Players: Each team plays with a maximum of 11 players on the court (including a mandatory goalkeeper). If a team is reduced to fewer than 7 players (due to expulsions or injuries), the match is suspended.

Changes: Historically there were only 3, but the current rules allow up to 5 substitutions per team, which must be made in a maximum of three "windows" or interruptions during the game (not counting halftime).

2. Game dynamics (Rules 7 and 10): Playing time: An official match lasts 90 minutes, divided into two 45-minute halves, with a break that cannot exceed 15 minutes.

Added time: The clock in football doesn't stop when the ball goes out of play. To compensate for this, the referee adds "stoppage time" (or added time) at the end of each half for time lost due to injuries, substitutions, goal celebrations, or VAR reviews.

The goal: A goal is scored only when the ball completely crosses the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar. If it touches the line, it is not a goal.

3. Offside (Rule 11): It is probably the most debated and complex rule in football. A player is in an offside position if, at the moment a teammate passes the ball to him, he is closer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent (the latter is usually the last defender, assuming the goalkeeper is in his goal).

Key note: Being offside is not an infraction in itself. A foul is only called if the player is actively involved in the play.

FIFA (from the French Fédération Internationale de Football Association, in Spanish: International Federation of Association Football) is the institution that governs football federations around the world. It is the highest global authority for football, futsal and beach soccer, and is the central entity responsible for managing the sport internationally.

What are its main responsibilities? Although she is world-famous for her events, her work encompasses the entire football ecosystem:

Tournament organization: Its best-known responsibility is organizing the FIFA World Cup (both men's and women's). It also organizes the Club World Cup, the youth World Cups (Under-17, Under-20), Olympic tournaments, and eSports competitions (FIFAe).

Regulations and integrity: While the exact rules of the game are dictated by an independent board called IFAB (International Football Association Board), FIFA is part of this board and is responsible for enforcing the regulations, sanctioning disciplinary offenses internationally, and regulating the player transfer market.

Global development: Through the FIFA Foundation and various programs, the organization reinvests the billions of dollars it generates (mainly from television rights and sponsorships) in the development of sport, sports infrastructure and social programs in less affluent countries.

World Ranking: Administers the "FIFA Ranking", a system that evaluates and ranks men's and women's national teams based on their results in official and friendly matches.

Structure and Key Data In order to manage football in every corner of the world, FIFA does not work alone with each country, but groups its members into six continental confederations (such as CONMEBOL in South America, UEFA in Europe or CONCACAF in North and Central America).

Current President: Gianni Infantino.

5 Interesting Facts about FIFA:

1. It has more members than the UN itself: Incredibly, FIFA has 211 affiliated national associations. This surpasses the United Nations (UN), which has 193 recognized member states. For FIFA, territories like Puerto Rico, Scotland, and Wales compete as completely independent national teams.

2. The inventors of football initially rejected it: FIFA was founded by just seven European countries (France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland). The British associations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland), creators of modern football, initially refused to participate because they felt they didn't need an international body telling them how to run the sport.

3. The original trophy was stolen (and disappeared forever): The trophy being held today is not the original. The first one, called the Jules Rimet Cup, was officially awarded to Brazil in 1970 as a prize for winning their third World Cup. However, in 1983 the cup was stolen from a secure display case in Rio de Janeiro and was never recovered; the most widely accepted theory is that the thieves melted it down to sell the gold.

4. The first World Cup was played in a single city: Today, World Cups require stadiums spread across a country (or even several countries, as will happen in 2026), but in the first World Cup in history (Uruguay 1930), the logistics were very different: each and every match was played in a single city, Montevideo.

5. The legendary video game was full of fake names: When EA Sports created the first video game in 1993, they bought the rights to the name "FIFA," but they didn't have the money to pay for the licenses to use the real players' names. To be able to release the game, the developers filled the 48 available national teams using the names of their own friends, family members, and even their pets.