The World Cup starts TODAY! Here’s everything you need to know

After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, the World Cup is finally upon us.

Forty-eight teams are set to take centre stage in the United States, Canada and Mexico – from the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao, with a population of 158,000, to five-time world champions Brazil.

It could be a tournament of the golden oldies, among them 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and 38-year-old Lionel Messi, as well as Croatia’s timeless midfielder Luka Modric (40) and German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40).

But it won’t just be about the veterans – there are also some exciting young stars ready to take centre stage. Chief among them is 18-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, who has taken the world by storm. The latest extraordinary talent to emerge from Barca’s esteemed La Masia academy, Yamal has already amassed 25 caps for Spain, played more than 150 club matches and won three Spanish league titles.

Alongside Yamal are the likes of England’s Manchester City prospect Nico O’Reilly (21) and Paris Saint-Germain’s recent Champions League winner Desire Doue (21).

Over 39 days, prepare for a celebrity invasion, a slew of scandal and some unmissable narratives – which Daily Mail Sport will pull out all the stops to cover.

With bases in New York, London and Sydney, we’ll keep you across all the biggest stories at all hours of the day, culminating in the final showpiece at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19.

And we appreciate that not all of you may be as clued up on the ins and outs of this summer’s tournament, so we have created this handy guide to bring you up to date on everything you may have missed ahead of tonight’s curtain-raiser in Mexico City…

It’s set to be a World Cup of golden oldies, with 38-year-old Lionel Messi heading to his sixth tournament after helping Argentina claim their third title in Qatar in 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, will also be competing as Portugal seek their first ever World Cup

The Estadio Azteca is preparing to host the World Cup opener today between Mexico and South Africa 

Who are the favourites?

First up, let’s turn to the crystal ball. According to the stats gurus over at Opta, European champions Spain are favourites to win the competition, having been handed a 16.1 per cent chance of becoming champions. 

Second are the runners-up from the 2022 World Cup, France, with Didier Deschamps’ side given a 13 per cent chance. 

And brace yourselves, England fans – Thomas Tuchel’s side are rated the third-most likely winners, with an 11.2 per cent chance of claiming what would be just their second World Cup, ahead of holders Argentina by 0.8 per cent. 

Now, before we get too carried away, just a small word of warning. The Opta Supercomputer predicted at the beginning of this Premier League season that Liverpool would retain their title following the mega signings of Alexander Isak (for a British-record £125million) and Florian Wirtz (for £116m).

We all know how that turned out, though, as Arsenal lifted their first title in 22 years while the Reds finished a lowly fifth in comparison. Sunderland, meanwhile, were predicted to finish bottom, yet actually ended up seventh, clinching European football next season with one of the highest-ever finishes by a promoted club.

In other words, if we did all actually have a crystal ball, the bookies would be out of business.

European champions Spain – who defeated England 2-1 in the final in 2024 – are favourites to lift the World Cup this summer

England are third-favourites to lift the title, but you can never trust the odds too much! 

The lowdown on the Three Lions

Tuchel, England’s German manager appointed to replace Gareth Southgate in October 2024, has gone for squad culture over big names in his squad. He even went so far as to say that his picks were ‘unselfish’ as there were some surprise omissions.

Among them was Euro 2024 standout Cole Palmer, who came off the bench to equalise against Spain in the final, as well as Manchester City forward Phil Foden and Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Southgate’s endlessly dependable centre-back Harry Maguire has also missed out on selection.

Among those to have taken their places are former Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who now plays for big bucks in Saudi Arabia, and 35-year-old former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.

Tuchel considers Henderson one of the most important leaders in his squad, while it has also been widely reported that the England boss believes the Brentford star has earned him immense respect from his peers, including Jude Bellingham.

‘Teams win championships, it is as simple as that,’ Tuchel said last month. ‘What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team. With that in mind, we chose a very balanced squad.

‘I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26, 100 per cent committed players in camp with us who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.’

Along with Toney, Tuchel has also picked 6ft 7in Newcastle defender Dan Burn, and it seems Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has already figured out Tuchel’s gameplan for the hostile climate – and he suspects it is not going to be pretty.

‘They are going to gamble on corners and throw-ins. That takes the least amount of energy in the hot conditions,’ Koeman said, before adding: ‘That is how Arsenal became champions.’ 

If things go England’s way in the steaming heat, then perhaps this will finally be the year for long records to end.

Phil Foden (left) and Cole Palmer (right) have been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s squad

…and England’s group games for your diary

England v Croatia (Group L) — Wednesday, June 17, 9pm UK time.

England’s toughest Group L assignment comes against a side ranked 11th in the world. The last time they met at a World Cup was in the 2018 semi-final, when Croatia ran out 2-1 winners. A painful day. 

England v Ghana (Group L) — Tuesday, June 23, 9pm UK time.

Ghana are ranked 74th in the world but should not be underestimated, with several players capable of disrupting Tuchel’s backline, not least Manchester City’s FA Cup-winning star Antoine Semenyo.

England v Panama (Group L) — Saturday, June 27, 10pm UK time.

Considered England’s easiest group-stage game despite Panama being ranked 33rd in the world. England have faced them once before, beating them 6-1 in the group stage in 2018.

Round of 32: June 28 to July 3.

Round of 16: July 4-7.

Quarter-finals: July 9-11.

Semi-finals: July 14-15.

Third-place play-off (‘Bronze final’): July 18.

Final: July 19.

Which teams are going and who missed out?

Scotland are on their way to their first World Cup in 28 years after qualifying in spectacular fashion at the end of last year. Scott McTominay’s stunning bicycle kick in the victory over Denmark has even been immortalised with its own Bank of Scotland note.

Unfortunately, the Tartan Army will be the only other home nations’ fanbase heading across the Atlantic. Wales lost their semi-final play-off to Bosnia and Herzegovina in devastating fashion via a penalty shootout, while Northern Ireland were also knocked out by Italy in the semis.

Speaking of Italy, they have now missed out on a third consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs, again on penalties. The 2020 European champions became the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive World Cup tournaments.

Meanwhile, four countries are set to make their World Cup debuts – Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao. Curacao are the smallest nation ever to qualify for the finals, while Cape Verde are not far behind them with a population of 525,000.

Luckily for those debutant nations, the reformatting of this year’s tournament means they have a better chance than ever of reaching the knockout stages.

Instead of 16 teams progressing from the group stage, 32 will advance in 2026, adding an extra knockout round. With 12 groups in total, all 12 group winners and runners-up will go through, alongside the eight best third-placed teams.

Even those in Group I – a ‘group of death’ featuring France, Norway and Senegal, led by stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane, as well as wildcard Iraq – could still harbour realistic hopes of progressing. 

Scott McTominay’s stunning bicycle kick in the victory over Denmark has even been immortalised with its own Bank of Scotland note

Group I is this year’s ‘group of death’ – featuring France, Norway and Senegal, led by stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland (both pictured) and Sadio Mane

What is there to look forward to off the pitch? 

This World Cup has not only been billed as a footballing super-spectacle and the largest tournament of its kind to date – with 48 teams competing and 104 matches to be played for the first time ever – but also as a cultural and entertainment extravaganza.

The United States, Canada and Mexico are sharing hosting duties, and all three are set to stage their own opening ceremonies.

Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla will get the tournament under way later in Mexico City ahead of the curtain-raiser between Mexico and South Africa (8pm UK).

Tomorrow, Canadian stars Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette will headline at BMO Field in Toronto before the hosts take on Bosnia and Herzegovina (8pm UK).

And, never ones to be left behind, pop superstar Katy Perry and rapper Future will kick things off for the USA before they take on Paraguay in Los Angeles later in the day (Saturday, 2am UK).

As the tournament heads towards its climax in July, however, the USA will take on the greater share of the games, with none to be played outside Donald Trump’s country beyond the quarter-finals from July 9 onwards.

This will all eventually lead us to the final and, in true American fashion, a first-ever half-time show curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Madonna, Shakira and K-pop group BTS will co-headline at New York-New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. Ever one to be counted on for a World Cup anthem (think Waka Waka before South Africa 2010), Colombian pop star Shakira has recently unveiled Dai Dai ahead of this tournament.

Katy Perry will take the stage on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles’ Inglewood neighborhood; pictured at the Unipol Arena in Milan, Italy in November 2025

Madonna, Shakira and K-pop group BTS will co-headline the World Cup final at New York-New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19

A trip around the grounds… 

It would take too long to write about all 16 stadiums staging the World Cup in just a few paragraphs. Luckily, we have compiled a separate handy guide to all the venues, which you can find HERE.

If we were to cherry-pick the standout venues, though, we would begin with the stage for the opening game in Mexico City. The Estadio Azteca is steeped in history and remains the only stadium in the world to have witnessed both Pele and Diego Maradona lift the World Cup on its hallowed turf. 

Estadio Azteca served as the backdrop for the Hand of God, Maradona’s infamous opening goal in the 1986 quarter-final against England, as well as his brilliant second goal, known as the Goal of the Century, and will hold nearly 73,000 fans for its five matches.

Because it sits at an altitude of 7,200ft (more than twice that of Mount Snowdon’s peak!), Mexico City is not as hot as the country’s other two World Cup host venues, although the thinner air will test players’ stamina and can cause the ball to move faster and travel further than at sea level.

From Mexico we head to the future, and to BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia – the most northerly stadium at the tournament. Its cable-supported retractable roof is the largest of its kind, while its exterior facade lights up the Vancouver skyline at night with dynamic colour animations.

Lastly, and perhaps most impressively, there is the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Reported to have cost £4.1billion ($5.5bn), comfortably the most expensive stadium ever built, SoFi is supported by 37 earthquake-resistant columns and three sides of the complex are completely open to let in fresh air.

A huge 4K video screen is suspended from the roof so every fan in the stadium can view it, while a giant translucent canopy covers the entire venue.

The Estadio Azteca is steeped in history and remains the only stadium in the world to have witnessed both Pele and Diego Maradona lift the World Cup on its hallowed turf

A huge 4K video screen is suspended from the roof of Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium so every fan in the stadium can view it, while a giant translucent canopy covers the entire venue

The expensive talking point

The biggest topic of controversy heading into this World Cup has been the cost of tickets, with FIFA accused of ‘artificially inflating prices’.

Fans have been asked to fork out £736 ($1,000) to see the USA’s first group-stage match against Paraguay, with even President Trump saying he ‘wouldn’t pay it either’.

FIFA have been criticised for a pricing strategy that, in a departure from recent tournaments, saw group-stage games priced according to the perceived popularity of the teams involved rather than at a flat rate.

‘If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success,’ said Trump.

‘I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.’

Despite introducing a small number of ‘more affordable’ £45 tickets for all 104 matches following criticism after the initial release, the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have since launched an official investigation.

New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport called the process a ‘gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices’.

Fans are also facing extortionate travel costs, with a 30-minute train journey from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium rising from its usual £9.50 ($12.90) to £111 ($150). Backlash has prompted organisers to reduce that slightly to £77 ($105).

So… how can I watch all of this?

ITV1 will broadcast England’s opening World Cup game against Croatia and their final group-stage fixture against Panama. BBC One will show their clash against Ghana on June 23.

Should England progress from the group stage, the BBC will broadcast England’s round-of-32, round-of-16 and semi-final matches, while ITV will show the quarter-final.

The BBC and ITV both have broadcast rights for the final on July 19.

And how can I follow it with Daily Mail Sport? 

That’s a great question.

You can make a great start to every day by reading World Cup Breakfast – our guide to all the action you may have missed from the previous day/night, as well as what to look ahead to. 

Alongside that, you’ll want to sign up to our daily newsletter which brings together our best stories, expert analysis, and trivia questions. 

We’ve also got a selection of unique games for you to play throughout the competition – Legends, World Cup Trace, World Cup Quiz, and Pass Master.

Make sure to check out our website, print edition, and social media for widespread coverage of the tournament. 

If you’d like a deeper guide to every team competing, you can have a gander here.  

Happy World Cupping!