Expanded field of 48 teams<\/span>three host countries and 16 stadiums hosted a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.<\/p>\nThe tournament, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first since FIFA expanded the number of participating teams from 32 to 48, with four more groups added in the initial stages and a new round of 32 in the knockout portion.<\/p>\n
The World Cup was last expanded in 1998, with 32 teams and 64 matches held over the past seven editions. This is also the second time the tournament has been held in multiple countries, with Japan and South Korea participating in the 2002 tournament.<\/p>\n
The company has 11 locations in the U.S., including three in Mexico and two in Canada. Mexico will host 13 games<\/span>The tournament will include the opening match between the hosts and South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City, and the final three matches.<\/p>\nCanada will also play 13 games.<\/span> The first match between the hosts and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be played in Toronto on June 12th, followed by three more matches in the finals.<\/p>\nThe remaining 78 players will be in the U.S. starting June 12 when the U.S. team plays Paraguay in the Los Angeles area, including all quarterfinal, semifinal and final round games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Other stats to keep an eye on during the 2026 World Cup include:<\/p>\n
1,248<\/h2>\n
There is a record 1,248 players on the roster<\/span> It is made up of 449 national clubs from 71 countries. There are 357 players with World Cup experience, of which 891 are first-time players.<\/p>\nEngland lead the way with 200 players based in England at club level on their rosters. Germany ranks second with 109 cases, followed by France (86), Spain (86), Italy (71) and Saudi Arabia (49). Major League Soccer will represent a record 44 active players at the World Cup, 103 of whom have MLS experience.<\/p>\n
Manchester City have the most players in the Premier League with 19, followed by Bayern Munich with 18, Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal with 16, and Barcelona with 15. <\/p>\n
226<\/h2>\n
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo<\/span> He is set to win 226 caps, the most ever by a male player, and leads all players in the tournament. Argentina’s Lionel Messi<\/span> As the only player to have appeared in six World Cups.<\/p>\nRonaldo is the only player to have appeared in five World Cups and scored eight goals in 22 games.<\/p>\n
Messi has made a career-high 26 appearances at the World Cup and needs two appearances to become the third player with at least 200 caps (Kuwait’s Bader Al Mutawa also has over 200 international caps). Croatia’s Luka Modric is three places away from joining that group.<\/p>\n
Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico<\/span> This will be his sixth World Cup squad, although he did not appear in a match in 2006 and 2010.<\/p>\n16<\/h2>\n
Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals for Germany could be in jeopardy at this year’s tournament. Messi enters the tournament with 13 goals in total, behind Klose, Brazilian star Ronaldo (15) and Gerd Muller (14). France’s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 is also within range, having scored 12 goals in the past two tournaments.<\/p>\n
8 <\/h2>\n
Only eight countries have won the World Cup, and six of them have won multiple titles, with Brazil leading the way with five. The only first wins in the past 11 cup competitions were in 1998, when France won the first of two titles, and in 2010, when Spain won them all. <\/p>\n
2<\/h2>\n
Only two countries have won the title repeatedly: Pele led Brazil to the title in 1958 and 1962, and Italy won in 1934 and 1938. Three other defending champions are in the title game, including France, who lost to Argentina four years ago.<\/p>\n
6<\/h2>\n
There are six defending champions who have failed to make it past the group stage, including three of the past four. France returned to the finals in 2022, but Italy (2010), Spain (2014) and Germany (2018) were all eliminated before the finals. <\/p>\n
3<\/h2>\n
France is trying to become the third country to reach the final three years in a row, after winning in 2018 and losing in 2022. West Germany lost in the finals in 1982 and 1986, and won against Argentina in 1990. Brazil lost the title game to France in 1998, but won in 1994 and 2002. <\/p>\n
twenty three<\/h2>\n
Brazil is the only country to have participated in all 23 World Cups, starting with Uruguay in 1930. The Brazilians also lead all nations with 76 wins, 237 goals, and goal difference of +129. Germany is next in all three divisions with 21 appearances, 232 points and a goal difference of +102, including 10 appearances as West Germany before unification.<\/p>\n
4<\/h2>\n
There are four countries from Cape Verde that will participate in the World Cup for the first time. Curacao<\/span>The new entrants this time are Jordan and Uzbekistan. This brings the total number of countries participating in the World Cup to 84. <\/p>\n7<\/h2>\n
Egypt has played seven games in the World Cup but has not won. The Egyptians have 0 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws and will aim to break through against Belgium on June 15th. The only country with more games and no wins is Honduras with nine. Honduras did not qualify this year.<\/p>\n
2,720<\/h2>\n
The first 22 World Cups saw 2,720 goals scored in 964 matches. A further 40 games would see them break the record of 172 goals in the competition, set in Qatar in 2022. The record of 5.38 goals per game, set in 1954, should be safe.<\/p>\n
twenty five<\/h2>\n
There are more than 25 years between the oldest and youngest players. Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon will turn 43 years and 162 days old on the first day of the tournament. Gilbert Mora of Mexico<\/span> He will be 17 years old and 240 days old.<\/p>\n___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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