FIFA World Cup 2026 Guide: Everything you need to know about the biggest World Cup yet

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Countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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England World Cup latest

Read below our in-depth guide to World Cup 2026, with everything you need to know about the groups, tournament format, TV, favourites and Betfair markets.

First up, though, here's the latest from Betfair football writers as the World Cup draws ever closer.

England World Cup 2026: Breakdown of squad, odds and form as Tuchel springs surprises

England are 6/17.00 to win the World Cup after Thomas Tuchel has named his 26-man squad for the finals.

Read Stephen Tudor on the surprise picks, big name ommissions and how they affect England's chances. Get the latest Betfair prices on the Three Lions.

Alan Shearer: England World Cup squad reaction

Betfair ambassador Alan Shearer knows all about England squads, having been picked for three major international tournaments, and he gives his reaction to Tuchel's 26.

Read Shearer on the decision to take Ivan Toney as a striker, find out who the Betfair ambassador would have picked instead, and why England's defence could face problems in the knockout rounds.

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The biggest World Cup yet

The FIFA World Cup returns in 2026 and, for the first time ever, will take place across three host nations - the United States, Mexico and Canada. This tournament promises more teams, more games and more excitement than ever before. 

The FIFA World Cup will have a new format for 2026 and will now feature 48 teams, 104 matches, 4 more groups and an additional knockout round so teams will have to win even more matches to lift that coveted trophy. The revised format was introduced to ensure fair play, with all teams playing a minimum of three matches and providing balanced rest time between competing teams. 

Hosts and venues at the 2026 World Cup

For the first time ever, three countries will co-host the World Cup, and 16 cities spread across North America will welcome both fans and nations:

• United States - 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle & San Francisco Bay Area
• Mexico - 3 cities: Guadalajara, Mexico City & Monterrey
• Canada - 2 cities: Toronto & Vancouver

World Cup Draw 2026

Now let's take a look at the groups for the World Cup, the draw having been made on Saturday 6th December.

The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four.

This will actually be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams after expanding from 32 in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The groups are as follows:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea & Czechia.
Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar & Switzerland.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti & Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia Turkey.
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast & Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden & Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran & New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia & Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq & Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria & Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan & Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana & Panama

The top two teams from each group and eight best third-place teams from across all groups will progress to the Round of 32. 

FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament dates

The 2026 World Cup will kick off on Thursday 11th June 2026 with Mexico v South Africa at Mexico City Stadium. Check out the latest odds for the first game here.

Round of 32: Sunday 28th June - Friday 3rd July
Round of 16: Saturday 4th July - Tuesday 7th July 
Quarter Finals: Thursday 9th July - Saturday 11th July
Semi Finals: Tuesday 14th July & Wednesday 15th July
Bronze Final: Saturday 18th July

The final will be held on the 19th July 2026, 8pm GMT, at the New York New Jersey Stadium. You can name the finalists in Betfair's dedicated betting market here.

When are England's Group L Games?

See below for the dates and times of Englands matches in the group stage of the tournament:

England vs Croatia	Dallas	June 17th, 9pm (UK time)
England vs Ghana	Boston	June 23rd, 9pm (UK time)
Panama vs England	New York-New Jersey	June 27th, 10pm (UK time)

When are Scotland's Group C Games?

Having not qualified since 1998, Scotland secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 4-2 win against Denmark during the qualifiers. See below for the timings of their group fixtures:

Haiti vs Scotland	Boston	June 14th, 2am (UK time)
Scotland vs Morocco	Boston	June 19th, 11pm (UK time)
Scotland vs Brazil	Miami	June 24th, 11pm (UK time)

Where can I watch the matches?

For UK audiences, the BBC and ITV will share the coverage of some of the biggest fixtures, all the way from the high-stakes group matches to the unmissable drama of the final. 

ITV will air England's first match of the tournament against Croatia (17th June), England v Panama (27th June) and Scotland v Morocco (19th June). 

The BBC will show England v Ghana (23rd June) along with three of their knockout clashes in the round of 32, round of 16 and the semi-final- if they progress. 

The final will be shown live on both ITV and BBC, so you can take your pick of where to watch it!

Spain and England top the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament odds

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup getting closer, betting markets are already available on Betfair Sportsbook and the Betfair Exchange, giving fans plenty of ways to get involved before the tournament kicks off. 

The main market, as always, is which team will come out on top. Early odds on the Betfair Sportsbook put Spain at the head of the front-runners at 9/25.50, with England not far behind at 11/26.50 and closely followed by France, Brazil & Argentina in the World Cup 2026 winner odds.

You may find longer odds on the Betfair Exchange as you're betting aginst other bettors rather than the bookmaker. Here, Spain are 5/16.00 and England are 6/17.00, with France, Brazil and Argentina occupying the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots.

However, there are more markets available than just the outright winners. You can also bet on group winner markets. England are currently the favourites to be crowned Group L winners at 4/111.36 on the Betfair Sportsbook.

Meanwhile, Scotland are priced as outsiders in the Group C winner market on the Betfair Sportsbook at 6/17.00.

Top goalscorer markets, how far a team will go in the tournament and Golden Boot winners are also popular for punters looking for those longer-term bets with more favourable odds.

Mbappe and Kane head the Golden Boot 2026 betting odds

For the the ever-popular Golden Boot winner market - 2022 winner Kylian Mbappe is currently the favourite at 6/17.00, closely followed by Harry Kane at 7/18.00 and Lionel Messi, runner-up to Mbappe in Qatar, coming in at 12/113.00. Other contenders include Erling Haaland at 14/115.00 and Lamine Yamal at 16/117.00.

How many goals will be scored at the 2026 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup delivered 172 goals at an average of 2.69 per game- a solid benchmark, but one that will be easily eclipsed in 2026. 

With the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams and the total number of matches rising from 64 to 104, there will be far more opportunities for goals. More games (and potentially more one-sided matches) suggest the overall tally could climb significantly. Betfair have already priced up some early markets on the sportsbook, with with 310+ goals in the entire competition priced up at 6/52.20, 320+ at 3/14.00 and 330+ at 15/28.50- numbers that look well within reach given the new extended format.

For bigger odds, 80/181.00 is the current price for 1+ goal in every game at the 2026 World Cup. It is tempting but a risky proposition, as there were seven 0-0 draws in the 2022 World Cup...

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Now read more of our World Cup 2026 articles in preparation for kick off