In this matter
All World Cups are unique, from ambition to execution. With an expanded field of 48 teams and 1 04 matches, the first triple phase suited the central host, who boasted of being the biggest and best. The biggest World Cup, of course. But the best? Certainly not.
Football memory will only remember a few matches amid the inevitable decline in quality, broken into 23-minute slices with ad-filled, speed-dampening breaks.
However, there is no greater dream than competing and winning the World Cup in football. As Didier Deschamps told the French winners in 2018, the ultimate achievement comes to very few: “Whatever your career is now, you will always be a world champion and no one can take that away from you.”
In this issue World Footballyou can find the complete story of the 2026 World Cup – every game, every goal, every player, Team of the Tournament and tactical analysis.
Contents
World Cup 2026 overview
4 In pictures
10 Keir Radnedge: Tournament overview
13 goals we want to see again
14 Tim Vickery: Lionel Messi’s World Cup Story
18 Players of the Tournament
20 Team-by-team analysis
74 Henry Winter: Jude Bellingham – England’s next captain
Plus… 5 things we learned
76 Jonathan Wilson: Deschamps bows, betraying his principles
77 Numbers World Cup
World Cup 2026: The Complete Record
Group stage
34 group A
36 group B
38 C group
40 D group
42 E group
44 group F
46 G group
48 H group
50 I group
52 J group
54 K group
56 L group
Knockout stage
58 1/32nd round
66 1/6 rounds
70 1/4 final
72 Semi-Finals
73 Playoff for third place
73 Final
World Service
80 South America Libertadores/South America
82 North America Leagues Cup
84 Oceania OFC Champions League
86 Obituary
87 Wales Europe U-19 Euro
88-89 Moves/Summer transfers
96 Plus Results, Fixtures, Fixtures