On Thursday, the 2026 World Cup will kick off with Mexico hosting South Africa. The biggest World Cup ever, featuring 48 teams, will be jointly hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States across 16 cities. More teams also means more games, with 104 to track ahead of the final on July 18 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The road to the final will be a long one, with teams needing to play in a newly minted round of 32 before the traditional round of 16, adding to the matches.
That shift brings new things for fans to keep track of at home, as every team in the field looks to stop Lionel Messi and Argentina from repeating as champions. There are also four first-time qualifiers with Jordan, Uzbekistan, Curacao, and Cabo Verde. With the new seeding for the top teams in the FIFA rankings, as long as they win their groups, Spain and Argentina can only meet in the final, and the same is the case with France and England.
If that has your head spinning, or you’re unsure how to keep up with the expanded 48-team field, have no fear; we have you covered with a wall chart that you can print to fill out at home. From when and where the games are being played to the knockout schedule, we’ve got you covered.
Format
With the expanded World Cup, the 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four. The top two in each group will advance, but the eight best third-placed teams will also advance to the round of 32. At that time, it is also when matches can go to extra time. If a knockout stage match is tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played, with a penalty shootout to follow if needed.
Wall chart
CBS Sports design
Click here to enlarge and print the blank 2026 FIFA World Cup wall chart.
