12 facts about the 2026 World Cup you need to know

The 2026 World Cup marked a new era in football. Held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the competition was the first edition of the men's World Cup played with 48 national teams.

The new format also increased the number of matches. In total, there were 104 games, compared to 64 in previous editions with 32 participants. The finalists had to play eight matches to win the title.

The competition was divided into 12 groups of four national teams. The top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advanced to the knockout stage, which began with 32 teams.

Another historic fact was the participation of three host countries. The United States, Mexico and Canada shared the organization of the tournament, with matches held in 16 host cities.

Mexico hosted the opening match, on June 11. With that, the country became the first in history to host matches at three different World Cup editions.

The big champion was Spain, who defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final. The decisive goal was scored by Ferran Torres in the 106th minute.

The final took place at New York New Jersey Stadium, in East Rutherford, in the New York metropolitan area. The final closed out a competition that lasted 39 days.

The World Cup also recorded impressive goal numbers. There were 308 goals in 104 matches, an average of approximately 2.96 goals per game, comfortably surpassing the previous record for goals in a World Cup edition.

More than 6.8 million fans attended the stadiums during the tournament. The number set a new record for total attendance in a single World Cup edition.

Spain's campaign also went down in history. The national team conceded only one goal in eight matches and finished the tournament with one of the best defensive campaigns ever recorded by a world champion.

The 2026 edition also had important individual marks. Lionel Messi reached 34 matches played in World Cups, while Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí became two of the teenagers to play in a tournament final.

In the end, the 2026 World Cup left behind a collection of unprecedented numbers: 48 national teams, 104 games, 308 goals, three host countries, 16 cities and more than 6.8 million spectators. Spain took the title and went down in history as the first champion of the new 48-team era.