Opening match of 2026 World Cup to be held in Mexico

By Alimat Aliyeva

he first match and the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Azernews reports, citing the press service of the International Football Federation.

It was reported that the USA, Canada and Mexico will host the tournament. Mexico's opponent in the first game will be determined later. The Canadian team will start the tournament on June 12 in Toronto.

The Azteca Stadium holds 87,523 spectators. The arena has hosted two World Cup finals: in 1970 and 1986. In 1968, the Olympic football tournament was held at the stadium.

For the first time, 48 teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup. The group stage of the tournament will consist of 72 games. The countries will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams and the top eight third-place teams in the quartets. After the group stage, the teams will play in the 1/16 finals. The tournament, which will consist of only 104 matches, will last 56 days. The final match is scheduled for July 19, 2026.

Earlier, 32 teams participated in the World Championships. The tournament consisted of 64 matches.
The current world champion is Argentina.