The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest the tournament has ever been. And The Athletic is making sure nobody forgets it by ranking every single one of the 104 matches from worst to best as the competition unfolds across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
That is not a typo. One hundred and four matches. For context, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar featured 64 games.
The biggest World Cup demands the biggest ranking
This is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format that had been standard since 1998. The expansion added 40 more matches to the schedule.
The Athletic’s ranking system kicked off shortly after the tournament opened on June 11, 2026. The concept is straightforward: watch every game, assess its quality, drama, and significance, then slot it into a running list that updates as the tournament progresses.
