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FIFA World Cup 101

You’ve heard the rumble of excitement for this year’s World Cup, whether you’re a mega-fan or brand-new to the tournament. For those looking to learn a little more about the prestigious matches, we’ve put together a guide of everything you need to know to talk sport!

What actually is the World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most popular international sporting competitions, comprised of senior men’s national teams from various countries. The soccer tournament occurs every four years, and the time between tournaments allows for the qualification tournaments* and play-offs to take place. The World Cup is made up of forty-eight competing teams, expanded from the previous thirty-two-team format. Fans travel all over the world to attend their favorite teams as they compete, following closely in person or on screen, with an estimated 1.5 billion fans tuning in to watch the 2022 final match. Across thirty-nine days, 104 matches will take place in various locations.

Where is the World Cup happening?

The tournament takes place across sixteen cities in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The host cities in the US are: New York City, Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Miami.

To become a host country, an application is submitted detailing where and how the country plans to host a match. A series of evaluations takes place, including tours of the stadiums, and the FIFA Congress votes.

What is the format of the tournament?

Before the tournament begins, a draw splits the forty-eight teams into twelve different groups (with four teams each). The four teams in each group will play each other in one match, with the top two teams from each group, as well as the eight overall top third-place teams, advancing to the next stage: the thirty-two- team round. All of the winners of the thirty-two-team round will then move to a round of sixteen teams. This is followed by the quarterfinals and then the semifinals.  There are two semi-finals; the winners will play each other in the final, while the losers are relegated to a third-place match.

What are the qualifying groups, and what does that mean? 

The first part of the qualifying process is based on geographic region. The prospective teams are divided into six “confederations” across the globe, each with its own qualifying process. A total of 211 teams began the process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, competing in matches which occurred between September 7^th, 2023 and March 31^st, 2026.

How and when did the World Cup start?

In 1930, the World Cup was proposed by Jules Rimet, a French football administrator and the longest serving president of FIFA, who wished to bring together men’s football teams (America’s “soccer”) for an international competition. The first World Cup consisted of thirteen invited teams and took place in Uruguay.

Who won the last World Cup in 2022?

In the last World Cup, Argentina defeated France in the Final, making the 2022 tournament their third World Cup title. The final match was tied three-to-three, and after extra time, there was a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

What country has won the most World Cups?

Brazil has taken home five World Cup titles. Italy and Germany follow closely behind with four titles each.

How many times has the US won?

Well, the answer is, they haven’t yet. With soccer's popularity and interest growing in the United States, perhaps we will see a win soon! It should be noted that the USA women’s team has had greater success, with four World Cup titles over the years.