The 2026 World Cup kicks off Thursday in Mexico City with a record 48 teams competing across North America.
Teams have set up training camps to prepare for extreme weather conditions including high heat, humidity and altitude.
CNN's daily newsletter will guide readers through 104 matches and five knockout rounds until the July 19 final.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
Note: This is story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
