FIFA World Cup 2026: Everything Football Fans Need to Know Before Kickoff

Explore everything about FIFA World Cup 2026, including host nations, Argentina's title defence, tournament format, star players.

Update: 2026-06-10 10:12 GMT

Lionel Messi (Photo credit: Sporting News) 

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just a week away, and football fans are eagerly waiting for it. This time it is going to be held in North America, and three countries, namely the United States, Canada, and Mexico, are jointly hosting this mega event.

If you are a football fan, you don’t need to be told that it was Argentina that won the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Here, we are going to talk about the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 and the betting options to win handsomely. Keep reading.

Argentina - The Defending FIFA World Cup Champions

Being a football fan, you already know that it was the Argentinian team that emerged victorious.

The 2022 World Cup win was the third time the Argentinian team ended as champions, but it was the first World Cup trophy for their captain, Lionel Messi, who is amongst the most popular footballers on the planet.

Football fans are eagerly waiting for the FIFA World Cup to happen and want to see whether Argentina will be able to defend their title.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the 23rd edition, and this time 48 teams are going to take part, which is the most in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Also, this will be the first time three countries are jointly hosting the World Cup.

If we talk about the 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar, which was the first after the COVID-19 pandemic, the audience count in stadiums was lower. However, this time, there is no pandemic, so you can expect packed houses when football teams take on each other.

Could be Last FIFA World Cup for Several Football Greats

The FIFA World Cup 2026 could be the last for many football greats as they are ageing, and by the time the next World Cup happens, some of them will be over 40, while some are near.

It is difficult for footballers to show their best football skills at the age of 40 and may force them to retire. This time, 48 teams are participating in this extravaganza, so there are many players who are nearing 40, and you may not see them in the next edition.

Some of the major footballers who you may not see in the next World Cup include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, and others. For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is the sixth World Cup, which is also a record. All the arrangements for the World Cup are almost completed, and both fans and players are just waiting for the tournament to begin.

The inaugural match of FIFA World Cup 2026 will be played between the hosts Mexico and South Africa on 12th June 2026 at the Mexico City Stadium. As the team count has increased to 48, the group count has also increased from 8 to 12. Each group has four teams, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the next round along with the eight best third-placed teams.

Football Sport – More than Just Entertainment

Football fans are not looking at the FIFA World Cup 2026 for entertainment but as an earning opportunity. Your question will be how.

The answer is by wagering on football matches on wagering sites such as We88 Malaysia.

The best thing about wagering is that you get the opportunity to become rich quickly (if you win). To win in wagering, you have to make the right prediction on different aspects of a football match.

Those aspects could be:

• Team to win

• Player to score maximum goals

• Goals to be scored by a team

• Final scoreline, and others

We have mentioned We88 Malaysia to try your hands at football wagering when there are other wagering sites too. This wagering site is different from other sites as it gives you access to three sportsbooks under a single account, whereas other wagering sites give you access to only one sportsbook. Those three sportsbooks are namely:

• SBOBET

• SABA Sports

• CMD368

1. SBOBET

SBOBET is a reputed name in the sports wagering industry, and it can be the best option to wager on the upcoming FIFA World Cup football matches. The initials SBO in the name stand for Sports Bookie Online.

You have several reasons to trust this sportsbook, such as it has served as a prime sponsor for several sports clubs such as West Ham United, Wexford Youth, Leeds United, and others.

2. SABA Sports

Just like SBOBET, SABA Sports too has a popular name in the sports wagering industry and can be trusted to wager on FIFA World Cup football matches. Malaysian people trust this sportsbook more than anything else, and other than football, you have other sports to wager on.

As a player, you have over 5,000 live matches. It has been there since 1998 and has the largest market share in the Asian market among sportsbooks.

3. CMD368

CMD368 is a renowned sportsbook among Malaysians, better known for its competitive handicap market.

When we talk about the football coverage that this sportsbook covers, you will be surprised to know that you will find every single international football match plus all important football league matches such as Premier League matches available for wagering.

The inclusion of these three sportsbooks at We88 Malaysia means that you get more markets to choose from and eliminate the need to search other platforms where you are required to create accounts. This thing will prove quite helpful, especially during big tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Premier League.

Football is a sport that unites the world, and the FIFA World Cup 2026 is just around the corner. This month, the world just talks about football. Here, we have talked about the last edition of the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, where Argentina emerged victorious.

Football is also an earning source for football fans other than entertainment, and we have talked about those earning ways in this post. We hope you liked reading this post and would love to hear your feedback on the same in the comments.

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