FIFA World Cup 2026 talking points: NFL-style half-time show, kits and more

With little than a week to spell until the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, the buzz astir football’s astir prestigious tourney is growing.

The monthlong spectacle, featuring the champion talent, volition beryllium the longest and biggest variation successful the tournament’s 96-year history.

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Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Al Jazeera takes a look astatine the apical 5 cardinal talking points:

World Cup crossed 3 countries, successful a first

All men’s World Cup editions betwixt 1930, the inaugural tournament, and the past 1 successful 2022, were held successful a azygous big nation, barring 2002 erstwhile Japan and South Korea cohosted the tournament.

This twelvemonth marks the archetypal clip a FIFA World Cup – men’s oregon women’s – volition beryllium played crossed 3 countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Sixteen stadiums successful 16 cities – dispersed crossed the eastern, occidental and cardinal regions of North America – volition big a whopping 104 matches crossed 39 days.

The 2030 World Cup volition besides beryllium played crossed 3 countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The biggest information excavation and an other knockout round

The upcoming World Cup volition beryllium the biggest and astir divers variation truthful far, featuring 48 teams.

Among those, nations from UEFA (Europe) had the astir nonstop slots (16), followed by CAF (Africa), which had 9 and AFC (Asia), eight.

More teams besides mean much matches, and frankincense the summation of an other phase.

For the archetypal clip successful World Cup history, teams that marque it past the radical signifier volition statesman the knockouts with a circular of 32 clash.

The World Cup winners this twelvemonth volition person to spell done 8 games en way to rubric triumph – 1 much than the 7 games that Argentina won to assistance the World Cup successful Qatar 4 years ago.

NFL-style half-time amusement for the final

This year’s World Cup has a distinctly North American interaction to it.

For the archetypal clip successful history, a shot World Cup last volition diagnostic a half-time show, inspired by the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Expect fireworks to airy up the New York skyline erstwhile a popular enactment kicks disconnected during the July 19 last astatine MetLife Stadium.

K-pop supergroup BTS, Madonna, and Colombian prima Shakira volition co-headline the programme, portion British stone set Coldplay’s pb vocalist Chris Martin volition curate the half-time show, which is reported to beryllium 11 minutes long.

It is not the archetypal clip that American football’s power has seeped into what radical successful the US telephone “soccer” – a half-time last amusement was besides held astatine the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup last betwixt Chelsea and PSG astatine the aforesaid venue, featuring performances from rapper Doja Cat, vocalist J Balvin and others.

J Balvin, who performed astatine the 2025 Club World Cup, returns for the 2026 World Cup final’s half-time amusement [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

The beauteous kits

The hype astir the World Cup this twelvemonth archetypal started erstwhile the teams’ kits dropped successful precocious March.

Jerseys by sportswear elephantine Adidas emerged arsenic the people’s favourite, acknowledgment to immoderate beauteous designs: from the concentric ribbed signifier spreading crossed Japan’s agleam bluish location kit to the citrus yellowish distant garment of Curacao, inspired by the colourful buildings recovered successful the island’s capital, Willemstad.

Also ticker retired for Argentina’s achromatic and bluish distant kit, featuring Fileteado people creation style, France’s acheronian bluish location kit which has a pristine achromatic collar, and South Africa’s lush golden and wood greenish distant kit, adorned with vertical stripes made up of triangular hand-drawn tile patterns.

New pre-game ceremony

Exactly a week earlier the opening match, FIFA announced a caller pre-game ceremony.

Before each World Cup crippled kicks off, each players successful the matchday squad – not conscionable the starting 11 – volition enactment up astir the centre ellipse earlier the nationalist anthems are played.

The ceremony, which FIFA said “transforms the stadium into a shared stage”, volition see extra-large state emblem banners and volition spot players participate the transportation done a dedicated arch closest to the tunnel.

“No substance wherever supporters are seated, each volition person a chiseled and engaging perspective, with extra-large state emblem banners and on-pitch elements cautiously positioned to impact the assemblage successful an authentic and meaningful way,” FIFA explained.

Below is an illustration of however the pre-game ceremonial volition look astatine the opening lucifer of the tournament, Mexico vs South Africa, connected June 11 astatine Mexico City Stadium.