The World Cup will return for its 24th edition in Morocco, Portugal and Spain in 2030.
In honour of the 100th anniversary of the first edition of the World Cup in 1930, a special match will also be held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay
The Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción, Paraguay will also host one match at the tournament.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2030 World Cup.
What is the FIFA World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup is the premier competition in international football which has taken place every four years (with the exception of a 12-year hiatus either side of World War Two) ever since the inaugural event in Uruguay in 1930.
It was the brainchild of former FIFA President Jules Rimet, who wanted to stage a separate tournament which would build on the success of Olympic football tournaments.
Dates
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will take place between 8th June and 21st July 2030.
Number of Teams
The first edition in Uruguay featured 13 teams but the number of participants increased to 16 in 1954 and 24 in 1982 before settling on the most recent number, 32, in 1998.
Further expansion meant that the 2026 edition in USA, Mexico and Canada feature a total of 48 teams.
The number of teams who will participate at the 2030 World Cup is currently being debated by FIFA, with an expansion to 64 teams possibly on the table.
World Cup Favourites
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Format
The 2026 FIFA World Cup featured 48 participating teams, an increase from the previous 32-team format.
Teams were divided into 12 groups of four with each team playing three fixtures throughout the group stage.
After the group stage, the second round commenced with a straight knockout format.
The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, advanced to a newly expanded Round of 32, with the 16 victors advancing to the next round.
- Round of 32
- Round of 16
- Quarter-Finals
- Semi-Finals
- Third-place match
- Final
FIFA World Cup format explained
Records
There are a number of famous World Cup records that have stood the test of time.
Brazilian legend Pele remains the only player to have won the tournament on three occasions as a player.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside is the youngest player to feature at a World Cup.
Full World Cup records list
History
Eight teams have won the World Cup and seven of them have been multiple winners (the exception being England, who lifted the trophy in 1966 and 2010).
Every previous winner has been either European (12 victories) or South American (10 victories).
Spain won the 2026 tournament after beating Argentina 1-0 after extra-time.
Brazil have not won the World Cup since 2002 but they are the most successful team in the competition's history with five victories, all of them achieved on foreign soil.
The Samba Stars golden era was between 1958 and 1970 when, with the considerable help of Pele, they won three of four World Cups.
German teams meanwhile, have appeared in the most finals (eight). West Germany contested six finals, winning three of them, while Germany have appeared in two – finishing runner up to Brazil in 2002, and defeating Argentina in 2014.
Best teams to have never won the FIFA World Cup
Some great teams have failed to get their hands on the trophy but the hardest luck stories could be shared by Hungary and the Netherlands.
Hungary had a great team in the early 1950s, famously defeating England 6-3 at Wembley in November 1953, and were widely considered to be the outstanding team at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland but they fell short – losing 3-2 to West Germany in the final.
A Hungarian team featuring outstanding players Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis and Nandor Hidegkuti were two goals up after eight minutes but their opponents came roaring back to record a surprise success.
Another top class team to be edged aside by West Germany were the Dutch team of 1974, featuring legendary attacker Johan Cruyff.
The Dutch took the lead in the final, only to succumb to a 2-1 defeat, and they fell just short of redemption four years later – reaching the 1978 final and losing out 3-1 after extra-time to host nation Argentina.
Iconic Players
Pele would be the choice of many people as the greatest footballer of all-time and his impact on World Cups has been undeniable.
The former Santos superstar was part of three World Cup winning squads, scoring 12 goals, and would probably have netted a lot more had he not been injured in the second game of the 1962 tournament in Chile.
In the two finals he did participate in (1958 and 1970) he scored three goals, and he laid on the assist for Carlos Alberto's famous strike in the 4-1 demolition of Italy in the 1970 final which is widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in the tournament's history.
A rival to Pele's status as one of the greatest World Cup players is Maradona, who dragged Argentina across the line at Mexico 1986.
Maradona scored five goals in the 1986 tournament, including the infamous 'hand of god' goal in the 2-1 quarter-final success against England and an outstanding individual goal in the same contest.
