🌏🏆⚽🥅 2026 FIFA Football WORLD CUP 🥅⚽🏆🌏

[BangaloreaN]

🌏🏆⚽🥅 2026 FIFA Football WORLD CUP 🥅⚽🏆🌏

[BangaloreaN]

[BangaloreaN]

FIFA World Cup 2026 All Stadiums And Key Dates: Here Is Your Guide For The Tournament

The key dates, host cities and all stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were revealed on Sunday. The tournament will kick off on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City and the final will be held at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium - listed as New York New Jersey Stadium on the governing body's website - on July 19, 2026.




The key dates, host cities and all stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were revealed on Sunday. The tournament will kick off on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City and the final will be held at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium - listed as New York New Jersey Stadium on the governing body's website - on July 19, 2026.


The 2026 tournament will have 104 matches to be played across 16 stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Here are details on the host cities and stadiums for the 2026 World Cup:

Atlanta: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match, 1 Semifinals match

Boston: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Quarterfinals match

Dallas: 5 group matches, 2 Round of 32 matches, 1 Round of 10 match, 1 Semifinals match

Guadalajara: 4 group matches

Houston: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match

Kansas City: 4 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Quarterfinals match

Los Angeles: 5 group matches, 2 Round of 32 matches, 1 Quarterfinals match

Mexico City: 3 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match

Miami: 4 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Quarterfinals match, Bronze medal final

Monterrey: 3 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match

New Jersey: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match, Final match

Philadelphia: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 10 match

San Francisco Bay Area: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match

Seattle: 4 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match

Toronto: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match

Vancouver: 5 group matches, 1 Round of 32 match, 1 Round of 10 match

[BangaloreaN]

2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule Shows MetLife Stadium Will Host The Final







Earlier this month, FIFA held a live ceremony to announce the match schedule for the 2026 World Cup. The 104-game World Cup tournament will be held in Mexico, Canada and the United States and will last from June 11 until July 19. Here is what fans need to know about the tournament calendar.

Host Cities

The tournament will be played in sixteen host cities — two in Canada, three in Mexico, and eleven in the U.S. The cities are split into three different regions to help cut down on team travel time, although given the distances involved, travel will still be a central theme of this World Cup.
The Western Region comprises Vancouver, Seattle, the Bay Area and Los Angeles. The Central Region includes all three Mexican venues (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey) as well as Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. In the Eastern Region teams could be traveling as far north as Toronto and as far south as Miami, with Boston, New York / New Jersey, Philadelphia and Atlanta in between.
Dallas will host nine games, the most of any host city. Atlanta, New York / New Jersey, and Los Angeles follow closely behind hosting eight games, while Guadalajara and Monterrey will be hosting the fewest — four.

Group Stage

The first game of the tournament will be held on Thursday, June 11th in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca. The legendary Mexican stadium, which played host to finals in which both Pele and Maradona won, will once again be a centerpiece of a World Cup. Later that same day, the second game of the tournament will be played in Guadalajara.
The first games in Canada and the U.S. will be played the following day, June 12th, in Toronto and then Los Angeles. The rest of the 72 group stage games — more than the total games played in Qatar, 64 — will be completed by Saturday, June 27th.



Fifteen of the sixteen host cities will host at least one knockout game, with Guadalajara being the only host to miss out. The AT&T Stadium in Dallas will host the most knockout games, with two Round of 32 games, one Round of 16 game and the first of the two semi-finals. The other semi-final will be in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, and the third-place game will be at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be at the much-maligned MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hosting the final is a big win for the Tri-State Area, as there was much speculation that the final would be in Dallas. In the end, the allure of New York City, and its favorable time zone won out.
Both Dallas and L.A. made no secret that they wished to host the final, with L.A. also stating interest in hosting the opening game. Neither has gotten what they wanted although both will play a central role in the tournament. While Dallas was appeased by receiving the most games in the tournament, L.A. gets the honor of hosting the first game on U.S. soil and the first and third U.S. men’s national team games.

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Japan first team to qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until Crystal Palace forward Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as South Korea were held but still inched closer along with a rampant Australia.


Japan celebrate after winning 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification match vs Bahrain on March 20, 2025.

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as South Korea were held but still inched closer along with a rampant Australia. Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to give Japan a 2-0 home win over Bahrain and take their place alongside hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year's finals. The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until substitute Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute. In front of nearly 60,000 fans, Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan sealed their berth in style.

It will be their eighth straight World Cup appearance.
"I'm relieved that we could qualify at home in front of our supporters," said Kubo, before he and his team-mates doused coach Hajime Moriyasu with water.
"This here is not our goal -- we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup."

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo gave them a 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday.

The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until Crystal Palace forward Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.

Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan punched their ticket to next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be their eighth straight World Cup appearance.

[BangaloreaN]

Oceania (OFC) qualifying: New Zealand qualify for 2026 World Cup;

New Caledonia reach playoffs



New Zealand have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, as they’re back in the World Cup for just the third time in their history and the first time since 2010.
They beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the final of Oceania (OFC) qualifying to grab the single automatic qualifying spot for the 2026 World Cup, with captain Chris Wood hobbling off in the second half but still able to celebrate the milestone moment. New Caledonia finished as runners up in OFC qualifying and will now compete in the inter-confederation playoffs.

The 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cup tournaments saw New Zealand win the OFC qualifying tournament only to respectively lose inter-confederation playoffs against CONCACAF foes Mexico, Peru, and Costa Rica.

Now New Zealand are in the World Cup, while New Caledonia will be hoping to cause a few almighty upsets to join them.

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Iran qualifies for 2026 World Cup after 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan



Iran’s national football team secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan in Tehran on Tuesday night.

Coming into the match with 19 points from six wins and a draw, Team Melli only needed one point to officially qualify. However, Uzbekistan, sitting three points behind and eager to make history, gave Iran a tough fight.
The visitors struck first in the 16th minute when Khojimat Erkinov finished off a sequence that began with a long ball from Yusupov and a clever setup by Shomurodov and Saifiyev.
Iran responded early in the second half when Mehdi Taremi volleyed in a stunning equalizer after a brilliant assist from Sardar Azmoun, set up by Mehdi Ghaedi’s chip.
But Uzbekistan answered immediately. In the very next minute, Abbosbek Fayzullaev’s free kick slipped past Iran’s defense and goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to restore their lead.
Iran continued to push and was eventually rewarded in the 83rd minute when Taremi capitalized on a defensive lapse to level the score once again.

With this result, Iran finishes the group stage unbeaten with 20 points, topping Group A and punching its ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Uzbekistan, still in strong position with 17 points, remains in contention for qualification.

[BangaloreaN]

Argentina hammer Brazil 4-1, qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026

Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Alister and Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez scored as Brazil beat Argentina 4-1. Earlier, they became the first South American team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.


Argentina qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026.

Defending champions Argentina hammered arch-rivals Brazil 4-1 in their FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, March 25 at Estadio Mas Monumental, Argentina. Despite not having their talisman Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni’s men produced a dominant show in the 14th round of the South American qualifiers.

Hours before the match, Argentina were confirmed of their place in next year’s competition after a goalless draw between South American rivals Uruguay and Bolivia.
They became the seventh nation to book a place in the finals of the 2026 World Cup after co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as Iran, Japan and New Zealand.
Julin Avarez 3', Enzo Fernandez 12', Alexis Mac Allister 36', Giuliano Simeone 70’ scored the goals for Argentina on Wednesday. For Brazil, Matheus Cunha 25' scored the only goal of the night.
After Argentina secured their berth in the FIFA World Cup 2026, Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer's governing body CONMEBOL, praised them for the achievement.Taking to X, the president wrote, "Congratulations, Argentina, on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Let's defend the crown and make the continent proud!" Argentina became the first team from South America to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. South America has six direct berths in the next 48-team World Cup.
Argentina secured one of the six spots after Bolivia, in seventh place, played to a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in El Alto. With only four matches left, Bolivia remains on 14 points.
“We have a secured place for the top tournament. One more time, we will fight for the maximum glory. Let's go, Argentina!” The national team said on X.
With Lionel Messi leading the way, Argentina, a three-time World Cup champion, has been at the top of South American qualifying from the outset. The team has faced minimal setbacks, including significant away victories against Brazil and Uruguay.