Football guides & World Cup 2026 explainers

Plain-English answers to how the 2026 World Cup works, how to watch it free, and the football terms you'll hear along the way.

World Cup 2026

• World Cup 2026 Format Explained: 48 Teams, 12 Groups — How the 2026 FIFA World Cup works: 48 teams, 12 groups of four, 104 matches across the USA, Canada and Mexico, and how the new 32-team knockout round fits in.
• World Cup 2026 Groups & How Teams Qualify — How the 2026 World Cup group stage works: who advances from each of the 12 groups, the eight best third-placed teams, and the exact FIFA tiebreaker order.
• World Cup 2026 Knockout Bracket Explained — The 2026 World Cup knockout stage: the new Round of 32 through to the final at MetLife Stadium, plus how extra time and penalty shootouts decide a winner.
• How to Watch the World Cup 2026 Free — Where to watch the 2026 World Cup free-to-air by country — the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Mexico, Germany, France and Brazil — and how much of the tournament is free.

Football basics

• Football Glossary: Key Terms Explained — Plain-English definitions of common football terms — offside, goal difference, clean sheet, extra time, penalty shootout, VAR, aggregate and more.