The FIFA World Cup returns to North America for the first time since 1994. The 48-team event kicks off in Mexico on Thursday and then in Canada and the United States on Friday. All three host countries come into the tournament with high hopes to make a deep run into the knockout round.

Group A has some veteran stars like Raúl Jiménez and Son Heung-min. Can they still lead their respective nations at the World Cup?

After winning hearts and minds but crashing out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, Canada hope to take a more tangible step towards building their soccer credentials as they contest the 2026 FIFA tournament.

Ivory Coast return to the World Cup after 12 years away, aiming to finally break their long-standing knockout-stage barrier.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup starts on Thursday. Running from June 11th to July 19th, the much-anticipated tournament will bring exciting matches in the world’s sport. 48 teams, through 104 fixtures, will give their all to achieve world glory.

Germany are hoping to banish the memories of their past two World Cups by mounting a serious challenge for the trophy in 2026. The four-time winners suffered group-stage exits at the previous two editions of the tournament,