World Cup 2026 primer: favourites, darkhorses and key details

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins Thursday afternoon in Mexico City, with Mexico facing South Africa in the opener. Canada plays its first match on Friday in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina, marking the first men's World Cup game ever held on Canadian soil. The United States also opens on Friday, and the tournament will run with several matches each day through the group stage. This edition is the largest World Cup yet, expanding from 32 to 48 teams. The new format includes 12 groups, with the top two teams and the eight best thirdplace finishers advancing to a 32team knockout stage. That change, along with the larger field, gives more teams a path forward and could reduce some of the tension in the group stage. The tournament is being hosted across three countries for the first time. The U.S. will stage most of the matches, while Canada and Mexico host 13 games each. Canada’s matches are in Toronto and Vancouver, with the final set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The article also notes new tiebreaking rules based first on headtohead results, plus scheduled hydration breaks in each half. On the field, Spain and France are viewed as the leading contenders, with England, Portugal, Brazil and Argentina also among the main challengers. Several teams are seen as potential dark horses, including Norway, Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Senegal and Japan. For Canada, the expanded format and home support raise hopes of a first knockoutstage appearance, although injuries to key players remain a concern.