World Cup fever builds as FIFA World Cup 2026 nears kick-off

MEXICO CITY: The world is once again united by football. Across continents, fans are counting down the hours, rallying behind their favourite teams and bracing for sleepless nights as the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup prepares to kick off. With the world's biggest sporting spectacle set to begin, excitement is reaching a fever pitch among millions of supporters worldwide.

The opening whistle will be blown at 12:30 AM IST on Friday. Co-host nation Mexico will take on South Africa in the opening match at Mexico City Stadium.

The tournament brings together the best of European power, South American flair, African athleticism and Asian tactics across venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This will be the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams. The previous edition had 32 teams in the first round. The expanded format includes 12 groups of four teams each and a total of 104 matches. The final will be played on July 20 (IST) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.

Last dance for football legends
The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the final World Cup appearance for several football legends, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Luka Modric. Only four players have appeared in the last five World Cups- Ronaldo, Messi, Modric and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Ronaldo remains the only player to have scored in five different World Cups.

Superstars ready to shine
The tournament will also feature some of football's biggest current stars, including France captain Kylian Mbappe, England's Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, Portugal's Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha, Brazil's Vinicius Junior, Spain's Gavi, Rodri and Pedri, and Germany's Jamal Musiala.

Young talents to watch out for
Several rising stars are expected to make a major impact on the world stage. They include France midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, Brazil striker Endrick, England defender Nico O'Reilly, Germany's Karl Lennart, Spain defender Pau Cubarsi, Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chemsdine Talbi, Ivory Coast's Yan Diomande, Japan's Keisuke Goto, Ecuador's Kendry Paez and Algeria's Ibrahim Maza.

Tahsin to make Kerala proud
Qatar midfielder Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid is set to become the first Malayali footballer to play in a FIFA World Cup. The 19-year-old is the son of former Calicut University football player Jamshid and Shaima from Valapattanam. Though of Kerala origin, Tahsin was born and raised in Qatar.

Other players of Indian origin
New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh has Punjabi roots. His teammate Nishan Velupillay is also of Indian origin. Congo player Samuel Moutoussamy traces his ancestry to Tamil Nadu, while Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa has Goan roots. The first player of Indian origin to feature in a FIFA World Cup was Vikash Dhorasoo, who represented France in the 2006 World Cup. His parents were Tamil migrants who had moved from India to Mauritius.

Small nations, big dreams
Tiny Caribbean island nation Curacao, with a population of around 185,000, and Cape Verde, with a population of just over 500,000, are among the teams competing in the tournament. This will also be the first-ever World Cup appearance for Uzbekistan and Jordan. Meanwhile, four-time champions Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup since 2014.

Group stage draw

Group A
Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic

Group B
Canada, Bosnia, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C
Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D
United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey

Group E
Germany, Curacao, Ecuador, Ivory Coast

Group F
Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Group G
Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H
Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I
France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway

Group J
Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K
Portugal, Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L
England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Fans can watch the matches live on Unite 8 Sports channels and the Zee5 streaming platform.