You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.After years of planning, preparations, and no shortage of controversy, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is about to kickoff.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4World Cup opening ceremony: Who’s performing, when it starts, how to watchlist 2 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026 explained in maps and chartslist 3 of 4World Cup form guide: Ranking the eight MENA teams in the tournamentlist 4 of 4World Cup: Rating the chances of top European teams at the tournamentend of listThe event, cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, is the biggest in the competition’s history.The 23rd edition, which will be played in an expanded 48-team tournament, begins its 104 matches with Mexico against South Africa on Tuesday.Argentina are the defending champions, having lifted the trophy at Qatar 2022, but who will claim the prized title in global football this time?In the run-up to Thursday’s opening game, Al Jazeera has compiled the complete guide for everything you need to know about its teams, groups, format and schedule.What are the groups and teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?⚽ Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic (South Korea), Czechia (Czech Republic)