World Cup 2026

In 2026, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the World Cup, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone living in Seattle, one of the 26 host cities. Other hosts include Toronto, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Miami. But who exactly is the favorite to take the cup? Argentina is the reigning champion and, as such, the favorite to take the trophy this year. But don’t sleep on Spain as a close second to Lionel Messi and Argentina. Their star players include the likes of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. The team I think will win is France, the runner-up from the last cup. Kylian Mbappe, a precocious young talent, leads the French national team.

The World Cup in 2026 will feature 48 teams, a few of which have already qualified. These teams include the host countries, who qualify automatically: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In addition to the host countries, four teams have qualified: Iran, New Zealand, Japan, and the favorite to win, Argentina. The World Cup will run from June 11, 2026 through July 19, 2026. The winning team will get $42 million and the World Cup trophy. A few countries have either withdrawn or been barred by FIFA because of political conflicts or other conflicts. There are also a bunch of countries that are not FIFA members. Therefore, they cannot qualify.

One major change in the World Cup 2026 is that there will be a halftime show during the final match. FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed this news in a March 5 Instagram post, saying, “I can confirm the first ever halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York-New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen” (a charity raising money with FIFA for educating young people in soccer around the globe). He revealed that the halftime performer will be selected by Coldplay. Some potential performers include Pitbull, Drake, and Shakira. 

While I am writing this, the official 2026 World Cup anthem has yet to be selected, but each host city has a sonic ID. For people like me who don’t know what that means, it’s basically a little instrumental song that plays while you look at photos of the city. Seattle’s song is, in my opinion, a bit boring, but you can listen to it here. Mexico City has (in my opinion) the best sonic ID, so check it out here. 

Amazingly, one of the U.S. team’s group-stage games will be played right here at Lumen Field. Seattle will also host one match in both the round of 16 and the round of 32. Any way you look at it, FIFA World Cup 2026 will be a life-changing experience for all of us, whether you are watching on TV or lucky enough to be there in person.