The 2026 World Cup starts today
Today the World Cup starts, which for the first time in history will be hosted by three countries at once — the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The opening match of the World Cup will take place in Group A between the national teams of Mexico and South Africa. The match, which will be held at the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, starts at 23:00 Baku time. The match is entrusted to FIFA referee Wilton Sampaio from Brazil.
A total of 1,248 players have been registered to participate in the World Cup, which will be held for the first time with 48 teams. The teams of Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their debuts at the world's biggest football tournament.
During the World Cup, 104 matches will be played, of which 78 will be hosted by the United States.
One of the teams whose performance is eagerly awaited by Azerbaijani football fans is the Turkish team, which has again earned a ticket to the World Cup after 24 years. The team from the brotherly country, playing in Group D, will play its first match on June 14 at 8:00 Baku time against Australia.
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic;
Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland;
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey;
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador;
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia;
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand;
Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay;
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq;
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan;
Group K: Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia;
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana.
It should be noted that the final of the World Cup will be held on July 19. The defending champion is the Argentina national team, which lifted the Jules Rimet Cup at the tournament held in Qatar in 2022.
