World Cup Bracket 2026 Printable Sheet to Track Your Predictions

Mexico, Canada and the United States welcome the top men's soccer teams from across the world over the next month.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City on Thursday with Mexico taking on South Africa.

Canada and the United States begin their respective campaigns on Friday in Toronto and Los Angeles.

The three host nations are part of a 48-team field. This is the first time FIFA is using an expanded World Cup field. It's up from the traditional 32 teams that we've seen for decades.

A full printable bracket for the World Cup can be found above.

The dynamic in the group stage will be different than in previous World Cups because eight third-place teams qualify for the 32-team knockout round.

There are 495 unique combinations of how the third-place teams can be aligned, but we do know the winners of Groups A, B, D, E, G, I, K and L and K face third-place squads in the round of 32.

That means Mexico, Canada and the United States would all face third-place teams if they win their respective groups.

Spain and France enter the tournament as the favorites to win the final on July 19. Brazil, Argentina, England and Germany will be strong contenders, as will Portugal and the Netherlands.

The expanded field should impact the types of stories we see in the group stage. For example, a small nation like Haiti or Cape Verde likely just needs one win to reach the knockout round. Three points and a positive goal differential should be enough to lock in a spot in the final 32.

An underdog story is likely to end before the quarterfinals because of how the top teams are spread out.

History is not on the side of underdogs either. Only eight nations have ever won the World Cup and six of those nations have multiple World Cup trophies.

Portugal and the Netherlands are the best candidates to become a first-time winner.

It wouldn't be a surprise, though, if Brazil, Spain, England, Argentina, Germany or France add to their World Cup haul.