(NEXSTAR) - The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest edition of the tournament to date, featuring 48 teams competing across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The international soccer championship is scheduled to conclude with the final match on July 19, 2026. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the upcoming tournament is set to be the "biggest global sporting event" in history. The scale of the event was evidenced by the December draw, which drew an estimated one billion viewers. Also, the expansion from 32 to 48 teams marks a significant change in the tournament's structure and reach. The tournament format features teams divided into groups of four. Each team plays three matches in the opening stage, earning three points for a win and one point for a tie. The top two teams from each group, along with the highest-performing third-place teams, will advance to a new 32-team knockout round. This single-elimination stage requires a higher point total and a strong goal differential to secure advancement. The United States has already been placed in a group with Australia and Paraguay. A fourth team will be added to the group following a four-team playoff tournament scheduled for late March involving Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. According to experts, France and Spain have emerged as the early favorites to win the title. Spain is currently the favored team according to betting odds, while some believe that France possesses the most talent and depth. Beyond the favorites, several nations have been identified as potential "dark horse" contenders that could cause upsets. Morocco, which reached the semifinals in 2022, is considered a primary candidate for another deep run. Other teams expected to challenge the traditional powerhouses include Colombia and Croatia. These nations often benefit from the expanded field, which now includes smaller countries like Haiti and Uzbekistan. National teams are required to set their official tournament rosters by June 1, 2026. Prior to the tournament, France is scheduled to play an exhibition match against Colombia at Northwest Stadium on March 29. The FIFA World Cup final will take place on July 19, 2026. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published