The 2026 World Cup opened on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and Mexico became the first country to host the World Cup three times. As of November 2026, the World Cup grew to 48 teams in 2026, 16 more than in the previous seven tournaments, and three countries hosted it: Canada, Mexico and the United States. It was played in 16 cities: 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico and 2 in Canada. As of November 2026, Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan played their first World Cup in 2026. The 2026 group stage ran from June 11 to June 27, and the 2026 final was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. As of November 2026 the tournament had 308 goals in 104 matches, about 2.96 goals per match.

The Football Association was formed in London in 1863 and published the first rules, and the Laws of the Game have been in effect since 1863 and kept since 1886 by a rule-keeping group called the IFAB. A player is in an offside position if closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent, but being in an offside position is not an offence by itself. In February 1866 the Football Association added a rule that a player was not offside if three opponents were between him and their goal, and in 2016 it was clarified that a player on the halfway line cannot be in an offside position. A field surface must be natural, artificial, or a hybrid of both where rules allow, and a goal is 7.32 m wide inside the posts and 2.44 m high. A goal counts when the ball goes between the posts and under the crossbar, and a match ball weighs between 410 g and 450 g at the start of the match.

A referee runs each match and blows a whistle when a rule is broken. A referee shows a yellow card as a caution to a player. A player who gets a red card must leave the field, and a player who denies a goal by a deliberate handball is sent off. A video assistant referee can help only with a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident, and it was first used in an official match on September 21, 2016. The video assistant referee made its World Cup debut in 2018 in Russia. Except for the goalkeeper, players cannot touch the ball with their hands or arms during play, and in official competitions a team may use up to five substitutes, as set by the competition.

At the World Cup, teams first play in groups of four. If both teams have the same score, the match is a draw, and in a group a win earns three points, a draw one point and a loss none. After the groups come knockout games, and losing a knockout match means a team is out. Extra time, when used, is two equal periods of up to 15 minutes each, and if a knockout game is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out picks the winner. The penalty shoot-out was adopted by the IFAB on 27 June 1970, and in a shoot-out each team takes five shots, each by a different player. A penalty kick is awarded for a direct free kick offence inside the penalty area, and the penalty mark is 11 m from the midpoint between the goalposts.

The World Cup is held every four years. The first World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay, and thirteen nations played in 1930: seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. FIFA was founded in Paris on 21 May 1904, and its first members included Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The host country gets a place in the World Cup without qualifying. Uruguay won the first World Cup by beating Argentina 4-2.

Words to know

• offside: ahead of defenders
• hybrid: a mix
• caution: a warning