The World Cup is essentially the Olympics of soccer. It’s a tournament for national teams, with the winners taking home the curiously dimensioned Jules Rimet Trophy and the title of World Champions. The World Cup has been held every four years since 1930 — except for 1942 and 1946, due to World War II — and remains the biggest event on the beautiful game’s international calendar. This year, it’s coming to North America for the first time since 1994.
How many teams are involved?
The tournament will be open to 48 teams for the first time — a controversial move in some quarters, but a guarantee of more games to watch than ever. Joining the three host nations (the USA, Canada and Mexico ) are 16 teams from Europe, 10 from Africa, nine from Asia, six from South America (including reigning champions Argentina), three from Central America and one from Oceania.
Of these, four teams will be making their World Cup debuts: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao. The most notable absentees, meanwhile, are four-time winners Italy, who lost out to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff for the final spot on offer to teams from Europe. Iran’s participation is also uncertain, due to the current overseas conflict.
How does the tournament work?
The World Cup has two distinct stages: the group stage and the knockout stage.
The group stage:
During the tournament’s first stage, the teams are divided into 12 groups of four teams. Each team will play three matches during this stage, one against each of the other teams in their group. Teams are awarded three points for a victory and one point for a draw; the top three teams in each group move onto the knockout stage, while the bottom team is eliminated.
The knockout stage:
With the bottom team in each group going home, 32 teams will remain at the end of the group stage. From here, the World Cup proceeds like a tennis tournament, with a series of seeded elimination games. After each round, the losing team goes home, reducing the field progressively from 32 to 16, then eight, then four… and then, after five weeks and eight games each, there’ll be two finalists left standing.
Where/when are the games being played?
The USA is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and the games will be spread out across all three countries. The tournament kicks off with Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11, and concludes over a month later with the final, which will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The entire schedule is available via FIFA’s website, but for readers in New York City, the most important dates are the eight matches being played just across the Hudson in New Jersey. All those games are being played at MetLife Stadium, and the dates and times in ET are as follows:
June 13, 6 p.m.: Brazil vs. Morocco
June 16, 3 p.m.: France vs. Senegal
June 22, 8 p.m.: Norway vs. Senegal
June 25, 4 p.m.: Ecuador vs. Germany
June 27, 5 p.m.: Panama vs. England
June 30, 5 p.m.: Round of 32 match, teams TBC
July 5, 4 p.m.: Round of 16 match, teams TBC
July 19, 3 p.m.: Final, teams TBC
Make sure to double check FIFA’s site for the most up-to-date information, as well as the lowdown on ticketing, transport and other practicalities. Note that if you’re attending the games, you’ll have to take public transit to get to the stadium — more info on that to come. And also, make sure to check out our fan’s guide to every team playing in NY/NJ to learn about the teams on show!
What does this mean for Lower Manhattan?
NYC is one of the USA’s primary tourist destinations, so first and foremost, the World Cup will mean a whole lot of visitors — especially since there are a bunch of matches being played nearby. A recent report estimated that there will be around 1.2 million extra visitors to the US over the course of the tournament. Lower Manhattan is already an attractive base for tourists, and its relative proximity to New Jersey transit options will also make it a great place to stay for visitors planning on attending matches at MetLife Stadium.
This is good news for local businesses; the same report predicted a 3.7% growth in visitor numbers in 2026, with the World Cup being one of the primary reasons. A more crowded city will mean a bit more strain on the subway and other transport infrastructure, so allowing extra travel time during June and July will probably be a good idea. However, the influx of fans from around the world will also make this summer a particularly exciting time to be in Lower Manhattan. Make sure to visit the local bars and restaurants hosting watch parties, and look out for soccer-themed activations throughout the neighborhood — you’ll be able to learn about all the action on the Downtown Alliance’s website as we get closer to the games.
…and what else is happening in the rest of New York City?
As well as the eight actual matches being held at MetLife Stadium, there are a bunch of city-sponsored events happening over the course of the tournament. There will be several dedicated fan zones across the city, providing places for fans without match tickets to congregate and watch their teams on a live TV feed. So far, the details of two of these zones have been announced: the Fan Village, at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, and the Queens Fan Zone at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing. And there will be plenty of smaller celebrations throughout the city, too.
Basically, a big party’s coming to town…and it’s time to get ready for it.
Tom Hawking is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor and football fanatic. Find him at his website.
photo: iStock
