The World Cup is heading back to North America once we’re done and dusted in Qatar.
The next World Cup – the 23rd edition of the tournament – will take place across 16 cities in three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. You can check out the latest World Cup 2026 odds on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app.
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Their joint-bid comfortably saw off competition from Morocco by 134 votes to 65 at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13, 2018.
It will be the fourth time the World Cup has taken place on North American soil. Mexico staged the event in 1970 and 1986 while the USA was on hosting duties in 1994.
The 2026 World Cup will look a little bit different because the number of teams set to take part has been expanded by 50 per cent from 32 to 48.
The traditional four-team group stage that kicks off the tournament looks set to be ditched in favour of 16 groups of three teams, with the top two from each group progressing to the first knockout round.
UEFA has been granted 16 spots at the next World Cup – an increase from the current 13 – increasing the chances of the Boys in Green sealing their long-awaited return to the biggest competition on the planet.
The other bit of good news is that the 2026 World Cup will revert to its traditional summer slot after being played in the winter for the first time ever this year due to extreme climate in Qatar.
That means no annoying pauses to the Premier League campaign. Hallelujah!
No official dates have been issued, other than it will be played in June and July, although if it follows previous tournaments it could start on Thursday, June 11 with the final taking place on Sunday, July 12.
World Cup 2026 host cities
Canada: Vancouver, Toronto
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area
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- World Cup TV schedule: Paddy’s complete television guide for Qatar 2022