'The Beautiful Game' The World Cup
The day has finally arrived that soccer fans all over North America have been waiting for: Competition begins today for the 2025 World Cup with matches in Guadalajara and Mexico City.
Play will continue Friday with matches in Toronto and Los Angeles. Starting Saturday four or more matches will be held every day through June 27. All this will eventually lead to a final championship match in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
The 2026 World Cup Comes To North America
While the U.S. might call the game “soccer,” most of the rest of the world calls it “football.” The world football championship, held every four years, is coming to North America starting today and running through July.
Starting three years ago, national teams around the world began playing qualification matches in hopes of winning one of 48 slots in this year’s World Cup competition. This is up from 32 slots in previous World Cups. The three host nations — the U.S., Mexico and Canada — received automatic berths.
The 48 teams, arranged in 12 groups of four, will play each of their other group opponents once and will be awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams from each group — plus the eight best third-place teams — will advance to a “knockout stage,” or the Round of 32.
From there, teams play single-elimination games to move up through brackets. There will be a round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds and then a bronze game on July 18 in Miami and a final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
This year’s edition of the World Cup isn’t without controversy. The International Federation of Association Football found itself under attack after awarding a previously non-existent “FIFA Peace Prize to Donald Trump on Dec. 5, 2025, after the president had loudly lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize.
And yes, one of the 47 teams visiting this summer is Iran. Trump wrote on his social media site in March that the Iran national team was “welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
FIFA is also experimenting this year with “dynamic pricing,” which threatens to push ticket prices even higher for fans.
16 Venues, 48 Teams, 104 Total Matches
World Cup History
Group Tournaments
What Is A 'Trionda'?
The ball used in this year’s World Cup matchesis called a trionda ball. But what is a “trionda”?It’s simple, really. Kind of ...
What’s the point of such a complex design? It uses just four panels or cover pieces — fewer than previous World Cup balls. The textured pieces, FIFA says, will improve the flight stability of the ball as well as provide better grip in wet conditions.
In addition, the trionda feature a built-in chip that will provide game officials with what FIFA says will be “highly accurate ball movement data within seconds.” The trionda was manufactured in Pakistan for Adidas.
The trionda will feature three colors and designs — one for each of the 2026 World Cup’s three host countries.
