Kombe la Dunia la 23 la FIFA
Kombe la Dunia 2026 ni mashindano makubwa zaidi katika historia ya soka. Timu arobaini na nane. Mechi mia moja na nne. Miji kumi na sita katika nchi tatu. Kombe la Dunia la kwanza linaloandaliwa na zaidi ya nchi mbili, na la kwanza kupanuka zaidi ya timu thelathini na mbili katika karibu miaka thelathini.
Mashirikisho sita
Timu 48 zilifika kupitia kampeni sita za kufuzu za mashirikisho na nafasi za wenyeji. Nafasi 16 za UEFA zinafanya kuwa shirikisho kubwa zaidi; OFC ina nafasi yake ya kwanza iliyohakikishwa katika historia ya Kombe la Dunia. Play-off ya kati ya bara nchini Meksiko Machi 2026 iliamua nafasi mbili za mwisho.
Jinsi inavyofanya kazi
Makundi kumi na mawili ya timu nne yanacheza mechi tatu kila moja kwa mfumo wa kila timu kucheza nyingine. Bora wawili wanapita moja kwa moja; timu nane bora wa nafasi ya tatu pia wanapita.
Raundi mpya, mtoano wa mechi moja. Mechi kumi na sita katika Marekani, Kanada na Meksiko. Washindi wanaingia Raundi 16.
Raundi 16, robo fainali, nusu fainali, na fainali katika MetLife. Mechi ya nafasi ya tatu inafanyika Miami siku moja kabla.
Historia fupi
Kutoka timu kumi na tatu Uruguay 1930 hadi timu arobaini na nane Amerika ya Kaskazini 2026, Kombe la Dunia limepanuka karibu bila kusimama. Watatu kati ya washindi wanane tofauti hawakuwepo katika mashindano ya awali; mmoja wao – Italia – sasa amekosa mara tatu mfululizo.
Maswali ya kawaida
01 Why 48 teams instead of 32? +
FIFA expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition. The 48-team format means twelve groups of four, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed sides advancing to a new Round of 32. The expansion adds 40 matches to the tournament – 104 in total, up from 64.
02 How does the new Round of 32 work? +
The Round of 32 is a brand new stage added for 2026. The twelve group winners and twelve runners-up are joined by the eight best third-placed teams across all groups, ranked by points, goal difference, goals scored, and a fair-play tiebreaker. The thirty-two qualifiers play single-leg knockout matches between June 28 and July 3.
03 Why are the host nations split across three countries? +
The successful "United" bid in 2018 was a joint US/Canada/Mexico submission. Each host nation plays its three group-stage matches in its own country. Knockout matches are distributed across all sixteen venues, with the latter rounds concentrated in the United States. The final is at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
04 Which teams qualified for the first time? +
Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan are all making their World Cup debut. Curaçao becomes the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup, with Cape Verde the second-smallest. Iraq returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
05 How do the two semi-final pathways work? +
FIFA introduced a competitive-balance rule for the 2026 draw. The two highest-ranked teams (Spain and Argentina) were drawn into opposite halves of the bracket, as were the third- and fourth-ranked teams (France and England). If those four sides win their respective groups, they cannot meet until the semi-finals at the earliest, and the top two cannot meet before the final.
06 Where can I see the full schedule? +
The complete 104-match schedule, including kick-off times in US Eastern, is on the schedule page. You can filter by stage, drill into any individual venue or team, or use the bracket page to see the knockout tree.