Sports
First 48-team World Cup. Three hosts, sixteen cities, twelve groups of four. Top two in each group plus eight best third-place teams reach a 32-team knockout bracket. This page tracks the setup, host venues, key players, and tournament progress.
Status as of July 9: the Round of 16 is complete and the quarterfinals are underway. Eight teams remain: France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina, and Switzerland. France face Morocco today in Boston. The final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium.
The five most successful nations in World Cup history, by total titles won.
Brazil leads with five (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). Germany and Italy have four apiece, Argentina three (most recently 2022), and France two. Uruguay also has two titles.
Opening match: Mexico 2–0 South Africa at Estadio Azteca (Jun 11). Semifinals run July 14–15. Final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium (NY/NJ).
Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland are in a four-way Golden Boot sprint with Kane close behind. Germany's 7–1 demolition of Curacao remains the tournament's biggest scoreline.
For the first time, FIFA mandated a three-minute hydration break in each half of all 104 matches. FIFA frames it as player welfare and says it earns no direct extra money. The breaks did, however, create a brand-new pool of premium in-game ad inventory for broadcasters.
The math: roughly 2 breaks × 4 ads × 104 matches ≈ 832 slots. At a conservative $300K blended rate that is about $250M in the US alone, more than half of Fox's $485M rights fee. FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists there is "no additional revenue for Fifa" since deals were signed in advance, though analysts note the breaks make future TV rights more valuable. One BBC estimate puts the worldwide total near $1B. Sources: BBC Sport, The Athletic, Wall Street Journal.
Sixteen venues across three countries. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, and click a marker for the city and stadium.
Final standings. Click a team name for key players.
Q through 3rd best third-place out eliminated
Completed June 28 – July 3. Full results below.
Completed July 4–7. Eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals.
Eight teams left. Three wins from the trophy. Semifinals are July 14–15.
France vs Morocco is a rematch of the 2022 semifinal. Six of the eight quarterfinalists are European.
Top scorers through the Round of 16. Assists are the first tie-breaker.
| Player | Country | G | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 1 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 7 | 2 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Ousmane Dembele | France | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 4 | 1 |
| 7 | Vinicius Jr | Brazil | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 3 | 1 |
| 10 | Jonathan David | Canada | 3 | 0 |
Messi leads with 8 goals and 21 career World Cup goals, ahead of Mbappe on 19. All four top contenders (Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, Kane) are still alive in the tournament.
Title odds from betting markets as of July 8. France remain favorites heading into the quarterfinals.
Spain moved ahead of Argentina after beating Portugal while Argentina needed two comebacks. Spain still have not conceded a goal. Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and all three co-hosts are out.
Select a team from the standings above, or expand any squad below.