The 23rd FIFA World Cup officially kicks off today in Mexico City. This year, the USA, Mexico, and Canada are hosting the tournament together. A total of 48 teams will compete over 39 days. Argentina is the defending champion, while Brazil has won the trophy the most number of times.
Mexico City: The wait is finally over for crores of sports fans around the world. The FIFAFootball World Cup, which serves up a feast of thrilling action for fans everywhere, begins on Thursday. The 23rd edition of the World Cup will officially kick off tonight in Mexico City.
This World Cup, which takes place every four years, will be hosted by three countries this time. The USA, Mexico, and Canada are jointly hosting the global showdown. Over 39 days, a total of 104 matches will be played between 48 teams, with the final scheduled for July 19. A total of 16 stadiums are all set to host the tournament.
The Argentina team enters the tournament as the defending champions (winners of the 2022 edition). Brazil holds the distinction of being the most successful team, having won the championship five times. The 48 teams, selected through six major confederations including the Asian Football Federation (AFC), will battle it out for the trophy this year.
How the tournament works
The 48 teams in the tournament are divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The teams within a group will face each other once. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group (a total of 24 teams from 12 groups) and the best eight teams among those who finished third will advance to the knockout stage.
This means a total of 32 teams will move to the knockouts. These teams will play in the pre-quarterfinals. The 16 winning teams will advance to the quarterfinals. After that, the semi-finals and the final will be held.
—
Today’s Matches
Mexico vs. South Africa, 12:30 AM (tonight)
Live Broadcast in India
In India, the matches will be broadcast live on the ZEE5 app and the Unite8 sports channel.
₹6240 crore: This is the total prize money for this World Cup. This money will be distributed among all the teams, including the winners.
₹476.3 crore: The team that wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive a massive ₹476.3 crore (50 million dollars).