FIFA football world cup 2026 kicks off on Thursday. The 2026 edition of the quadrennial soccer tournament will be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 through the final on July 19. For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart -- Spain, Argentina, France and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all top their groups.
If the top seeds all win their groups, England could find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a semi against Argentina. Other possible match-ups include France and Germany being on a last-16 collision course and a potential meeting between Messi's Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the quarter-finals.