June 11, 2026
FIFA World Cup trophy
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off today, Thursday, 11th June, 2026, marking football’s grandest stage. This historic tournament, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, features 48 teams spread across 12 groups labeled A through L, with 16 host cities staging 104 matches.
The opening match kicks off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City between Mexico and South Africa, while the final will be held on 19th July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA. The qualified teams by grouping include Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and Czech Republic in Group A; Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B; Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti in Group C; United States, Australia, Paraguay, and Türkiye in Group D; Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ecuador in Group E.
Others are Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and Sweden in Group F; Belgium, Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand in Group G; Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde in Group H; France, Senegal, Norway, and Iraq in Group I; Argentina, Austria, Algeria, and Jordan in Group J; Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo in Group K; and England, Croatia, Panama, and Ghana in Group L. Nigeria failed to build on their perfect start against DR Congo, which won on penalty shootout in Morocco’s Rabat on 16th November, 2025. Despite stars like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi, Nigeria fell short during the two-year qualification journey and got eliminated in Africa’s playoff final. The last time Nigeria participated was the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, their sixth and most recent appearance.
