The 23rd World Cup begins this Thursday, consolidating unprecedented milestones in football. The tournament presents an absolute record in the number of participating teams, number of host countries, volume of matches and days scheduled on the calendar, in addition to implementing changes in the arbitration dynamics and facing a panorama of strong diplomatic frictions behind the scenes. The opening ceremony and the initial clash between Mexico and South Africa will have live coverage from 2pm (Brasília time) on sportv, Globoplay and ge tv, while the broadcast on TV Globo starts at 2:30pm.
Hosted jointly by Canada, the United States and Mexico, the international competition brings together 48 national federations for the first time. The sports squads total 1,248 registered athletes, considering that each of the delegations was able to call up up to 26 players to compose their groups.
This restructuring is the most profound carried out by FIFA since the 1998 edition, a period in which the tournament had 32 competitors. The expansion of the format increased the table to 104 clashes — surpassing the 64 duels in force until 2022 — and extended the calendar to 39 days of activities, surpassing the previous record of 33 days. The knockout stage included a phase prior to the round of 16, in which the two leaders of the 12 original groups and the eight best overall third-placed teams qualify for the round of 16.
The infrastructure has 16 sports arenas distributed across 16 municipalities in North America. Logistical planning concentrated 11 sports venues in North American territory, three on Mexican soil and two in Canadian stadiums.
The opening protocol and the first match of the table take place at the traditional Azteca Stadium, which stands out in history as the only football monument to host three opening World Cups, repeating the feats of 1970 and 1986. The dispute that will appoint the world champion is scheduled for July 19th, at the MetLife Stadium, located in New Jersey, in the United States.
Opening ceremonies
The official schedule indicates that the inaugural festivities begin at 2:30 pm (Brasília time), exactly an hour and a half before the ball rolls between Mexico and South Africa, whose kickoff takes place at 4 pm.
The main attractions of the musical show will be Shakira and Burna Boy, in charge of performing “Dai Dai”, declared the official song of the 2026 World Cup. The program at the Azteca Stadium also features artistic interventions by Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean and J Balvin.
Due to the territorial spread of the event, Canada and the United States also organized their own inaugural shows to precede their respective local premieres. In Toronto, the list of attractions brings together names like Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette, while the party in Los Angeles will be headlined by Katy Perry and will feature a performance by Brazilian singer Anitta.
However, the climate in Mexico City is unstable due to scheduled popular mobilizations. Social movements, trade union associations and entities linked to human rights organize marches towards the Azteca Stadium to give visibility to internal demands. The most important block is made up of public school teachers, who are in an impasse with the Mexican federal administration over changes to the pension system and the implementation of educational reforms.
Calculations by local media outlets indicate that around 5,000 protesters traveled to the Mexican capital with the aim of holding protests on the day the tournament began.
Political tensions
Ideological divergences go beyond Mexican borders and reach a global scale with direct repercussions on international geopolitics, driven above all by measures adopted in Washington. The tournament takes place in the midst of a critical scenario: the United States, one of the organizers of the event, is in a state of active war against another participating nation, after starting, in partnership with Israel, a military incursion against Iran in February this year.
The confirmation of the Asian team in the competition was surrounded by uncertainty, heightened by statements from North American President Donald Trump, who classified the presence of Iranian athletes as inadequate for the preservation of their own lives and safety.
For operational reasons, the Iranian delegation set up its training and accommodation base in the city of Tijuana, Mexico, although its sporting events are scheduled for the United States. The group is only allowed to cross the land border on the eve of each match, needing to immediately return to Mexican territory after the end of the games.
Consular restrictions imposed by the American government resulted in the rejection of entry visas for 15 members of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), including the entity’s representative, Mehdi Taj, in addition to those responsible for the executive and technical directors, and statistical analysis professionals. FFIRI also formally announced that the United States has invalidated the batch of tickets reserved for Iranian fans. In view of this, Iran notified FIFA, which ordered its athletes to leave the field if political demonstrations against the country occur during matches.
Although the Iranian committee has the biggest obstacles, other participants have faced strict barriers at US customs checkpoints.
The United States administration barred the entry of Omar Abdulkadir Artan, from Somalia, considered the main referee on the African continent; detained Iraqi player Aymen Hussein for a seven-hour interrogation upon international arrivals; and adopted strict search protocols for delegations’ luggage, with the obvious use of sniffer dogs.
New rules
In the sporting sphere, the World Cup serves as a launch platform for new guidelines for international football, promoting the decentralization of the video referee (VAR) and stipulating severe punishments for anti-gambling conduct.
VAR’s scope of action has been expanded and now goes beyond checking goals, penalties, direct red cards or mistakes in identifying athletes. From this edition onwards, technology can intervene to correct erroneously applied yellow cards that result in expulsion, as well as adjust the incorrect marking of corners that should be signaled as goal kicks.
With the express objective of curbing the deliberate retention of time and extending the period of the ball in motion, the following timed determinations were established:
- Throw-in charges must occur within 5 seconds, with a visual count made by the referee; Failure to comply results in possession reverting to the opposing team.
- Goal kicks must be taken within 5 seconds, also monitored by the judge; the infraction results in a corner in favor of the opposing team.
- Athlete substitutions have a 10-second time limit, except in obvious cases of serious injuries; if the time is run out, the player leaves, but the substitute is retained on the sideline for 60 seconds, leaving the team temporarily with ten on the field.
- Medical care in the field generates mandatory leave: the professional who requires medical support must be removed and wait 1 minute outside the four lines before receiving authorization to return.
- It is strictly prohibited for players to approach the benches during the period of medical care for goalkeepers.
On a disciplinary level, the regulations dictate the direct application of a red card to any player who hides his mouth with his hands, arms or uniform during arguments with rivals, and to any athlete or member of the coaching staff who leaves the field as a form of repudiation of arbitration decisions.
Participating teams
- North America (Concacaf and headquarters):Canada, United States, Mexico, Curaçao, Haiti and Panama;
- South America (Conmebol):Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay;
- Europe (UEFA):Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Scotland, Spain, France, Netherlands, England, Norway, Portugal, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey;
- Africa (CAF):South Africa, Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Tunisia;
- Asia (AFC):Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan and Uzbekistan;
- Oceania (OFC):New Zealand.
Favorites
Holder of the 2018 title and finalist in 2022, France emerges as one of the main technical forces of the tournament, supported by a group of renowned athletes under the command of Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise. Spain, driven by the precocious talent of Lamine Yamal, enters the dispute accredited for the Euro 2024 title and second place in the world ranking of teams.
Argentina begins its campaign positioned at the top of the FIFA rankings, maintaining the tactical structure that won the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América, with Messi as the main reference, consolidated as one of the greatest exponents of football in that country.
The Brazilian team is not listed in the first line of favoritism due to recent fluctuations in its technical performance. However, as the only owner of five world titles, it remains a traditional force in the dispute for the trophy.
Keeping an eye on hexa
Under the direction of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who makes his debut leading a national team, Brazil is trying to achieve its sixth world title, adding to the triumphs achieved in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. The national team has gone 24 years without lifting the cup and is currently in sixth place in the FIFA rankings, positioned below Argentina, Spain, France, England and Portugal.
Brazil is part of Group C and makes its debut against Morocco this Saturday, at 7pm (Brasília time). Following the first phase, they face Haiti on the 19th, at 9:30 pm, and close the group stage against Scotland on the 24th, at 7 pm.
Guaranteeing classification in the first two positions of the group, the Brazilian squad will face a group classified from Group F, which includes the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. If they advance as one of the best third-placed teams, the pairing will place the team against the leader of brackets A, E or I.
Farewells
The 2026 World Cup should mark the end of the World Cup career of two historic figures in contemporary sport: the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine Messi.
Listed for his fourth participation in the World Cup, Neymar is also experiencing his last cycle in the tournament, a fate shared by South Korean Son Heung-min, German archer Manuel Neuer, Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić.
Stars on the rise
In contrast to the end of cycles, the tournament opens space for the emergence of new international promises. Spanish striker Lamine Yamal, 18 years old, emerges as the most prominent young star among the newcomers.
France’s offensive sector features Désiré Doué, 20 years old, surrounded by strong technical expectations, while Brazil is betting on striker Endrick, 19 years old, as its main jewel in this edition. The youngest athlete registered in the competition belongs to the hosts: midfielder Gilberto Mora, 17 years old, considered Mexico’s main revelation and the target of monitoring by European football associations.
Ticket prices
The organization of the event has faced public protests due to the high prices stipulated for tickets, a scenario that resulted in a sales rate below official projections and left thousands of seats available even on the opening date. American President Donald Trump expressed himself critically about pricing, stating that he would not pay the amounts charged for tickets.
The average value stipulated for tickets for the final confrontation is close to US$13,000, equivalent to around R$65,000 at the current price.