Sports fans rejoice as FIFA World Cup prepares to kick off in North America

Buckle up, soccer fans, as the world's most popular sport prepares to bring its most prestigious international competition to North America with games set to kick off next Thursday, June 11.

The famed tournament, which only comes around once every four years, will feature matches across cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. This marks the return of the World Cup to North America for the first time since 1994, when the competition was held in locations around the US.

This World Cup marks the first time the tournament will consist of 48 teams, rising from 32, which had been the norm in recent cycles. The additional contestants mean the format will change to include twelve groups of four, with the participants in each group squaring off in a three-game round-robin to determine who moves on to a 32-team knockout stage bracket. 

The United States Men's National Team is preparing for a highly important tournament for the organization as they look to deliver glory in front of a home audience and officially solidify themselves as a capable footballing country.

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Head coach Mauricio Pochettino joined the team in 2024 following a disappointing run of years for the national team that saw them miss out on the 2018 World Cup while bottoming out in the round of 16 in the most recent 2022 tournament. With a returning group of players that have formed the core of the squad for several years now, many analysts and experts have looked toward the 2026 competition as the ideal opportunity for the US to showcase the progress the country has made in the global sport and take a step towards competing against the top world-class opponents.

The men's team is led by star players Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson, among others, as they look to stamp their legacy on the country's soccer history. No U.S. team has ever made it past the quarterfinals of the competition, with the feat coming all the way back in 2002. 

This year, the USA finds itself in a group facing off against Turkey, Australia, and Paraguay, with 2, potentially 3, of the teams advancing to the next phase of the tournament.  

Matches will take place across 16 different host cities: two from Canada, three from Mexico, and 11 from the United States, including the championship bout, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

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 This tournament will also likely see the last World Cup appearances for legendary players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have been the premier ambassadors of global soccer for several decades. Messi and Ronaldo enter the tournament at ages 37 and 41, respectively, making them two of the oldest players at the tournament. The 2026 World Cup marks each player's sixth inclusion in the competition, earning the two stars the title of the only athletes to ever accomplish such a milestone.

Messi returns as a defending champion with his home country Argentina, who look to, once again, be one of the favorites entering the tournament. Other top contenders include Spain, England, France and Portugal.

The competition is set to last 39 days, with the final scheduled to be played on Sunday, July 19. The U.S. will kick off its first match next Friday, June 12, against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.