The 2026 World Cup marks the biggest turning point in terms of scale in the tournament's history. Instead of 32 teams like the previous seven editions, the biggest football event on the planet will for the first time bring together 48 national teams and last for 39 days.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host 104 matches across 16 stadiums. Mexico will host 13 of these matches, including the opening game against South Africa in Mexico City on June 11th.
Canada also hosted 13 matches, beginning with a clash between the host nation and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12th. The majority of the tournament took place in the United States, with 78 matches, including all quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
This is only the second time the World Cup has been held in multiple countries, following the 2002 tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
1,248 players from 449 clubs
The list of participants includes 1,248 players from 449 clubs in 71 countries. Of these, 357 have previously participated in the World Cup, while 891 players are preparing to make their debut on the biggest football stage on the planet.
English leagues provided the most players with 200, far surpassing Germany with 109 representatives. France and Spain each contributed 86 players, followed by Italy with 71 and Saudi Arabia with 49.
Major League Soccer (MLS) also set a record with 44 players currently competing in the league. If you include those who have played for an MLS club, the number rises to 103.
In terms of clubs, Man City leads with 19 players, followed by Bayern Munich with 18. PSG and Arsenal each contribute 16 representatives, while Barcelona has 15.
Ronaldo, Messi, and their historical milestones.
After playing in Portugal's 2-1 friendly win against Chile, striker Cristiano Ronaldo increased his record to 227 appearances for the national team, the most in the history of men's football.
The 41-year-old superstar is poised to become, along with Lionel Messi, the first two players to have competed in six World Cups. Ronaldo is also the only player to have scored in five tournaments, with a total of eight goals in 22 matches.
Messi holds the record for most appearances at the World Cup with 26 matches. The Argentina captain and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric both have 198 caps for their national teams, needing only two more games to reach the 200-cap mark.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was also named in Mexico's squad for their sixth World Cup. However, he did not play in the first two tournaments in 2006 and 2010.
The record of 16 goals is now under challenge.
Former striker Miroslav Klose holds the record for scoring 16 goals in the World Cup. Following the German striker are Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario with 15 goals, Gerd Muller with 14, and Messi with 13.
Striker Kylian Mbappe is also a notable candidate. The French captain has scored 12 goals in just two World Cups.
France awaits a rare milestone, Brazil holds a special position.
Historically, only eight countries have won the World Cup, with Brazil leading the way with five titles. Only Italy (in 1934 and 1938) and Brazil (in 1958 and 1962) have successfully defended their titles.
The French national team has the opportunity to become the third team to reach three consecutive finals, after West Germany in 1982, 1986, and 1990, and Brazil in 1994, 1998, and 2002. Kylian Mbappe and his teammates won the 2018 World Cup before losing to Argentina in the 2022 final.
History also serves as a warning to the reigning champions, Argentina. Six teams that have held the World Cup have been eliminated in the group stage, including Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014, and Germany in 2018.
Brazil is the only team to have participated in all 23 World Cups since the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930. The South American representative also leads history with 76 wins, 237 goals scored, and a goal difference of +129.
Germany participated in 21 tournaments, scoring 232 goals and having a goal difference of +102. Of those, the team competed 10 times under the name West Germany before the country's reunification.
Four new recruits and an age difference of nearly 26 years.
The 2026 World Cup welcomes four newcomers: Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, all making their first appearance in the tournament's history. This brings the total number of countries that have participated in the World Cup to 84.
Egypt entered the tournament aiming to end their seven-match winless streak. Only Honduras had a worse record with nine consecutive matches without a win, but the Central American team did not qualify for this year's tournament.
The gap between the oldest and youngest players is nearly 26 years. Scotland's goalkeeper Craig Gordon entered the opening day at the age of 43 years and 162 days, while Mexico's midfielder Gilbert Mora was just 17 years and 240 days old.
The goalscoring record is about to be broken.
Over 22 World Cups, the tournament has seen 2,720 goals scored in 964 matches. The addition of 40 matches compared to the previous format means the record of 172 goals in Qatar in 2022 is in danger of being surpassed.
However, the average of 5.38 goals per game at the 1954 World Cup remains very difficult to surpass. Those numbers add to the allure of the biggest World Cup in history.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nhung-ky-luc-truoc-world-cup-2026-post780900.html
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