Race to 2026 FIFA World Cup gathers pace

As squads take shape for the expanded 48-team tournament, contenders prepare, rules evolve and climate concerns emerge ahead of football’s biggest spectacle in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Less than a month remains for the 23rd edition of the world’s biggest sporting event—FIFA World Cup—to kick off in Mexico, with the co-hosts facing South Africa on June 12 at 12:45am Nepali time.