00:00There are less than 300 days left until the 2026 World Cup.
00:03The biggest football party on the planet is just around the corner.
00:06How time flies, my friends. It feels like just yesterday we were in Qatar. It's crazy.
00:10The United States, Mexico, and Canada are preparing to host 48 teams in a historic tournament.
00:15Full of records, curiosities and news that you need to know before the tournament starts.
00:19So in this video I'll tell you some interesting facts about the upcoming World Cup, and some of them will surprise you.
00:24First, a historical fact. After 32 years, the World Cup returns to North America.
00:28The last time was in the United States in 1994, when Brazil lifted the Cup after beating Italy on penalties.
00:34That Cup is also remembered tragically because of the death of Andrés Escobar.
00:38After scoring an own goal in the group stage, when he returned to Colombia, he lost his life at the hands of a fan.
00:43The second important fact is that for the first time in history the World Cup will be organized by three countries.
00:47Prior to this, only in 2002 had Japan and South Korea shared the organization,
00:52That was the last time the selection was shared.
00:55Another huge novelty, also for the first time, is 48 teams, leaving behind the classic 32-team format.
01:00A total of 80 matches will be played, of which 60 will be in the United States, 10 in Mexico, and 10 in Canada.
01:06Furthermore, with a duration of 38 days, up from 30 previously, it is the longest World Cup of all time.
01:13Now let's talk about the 23 cities that will be the venues.
01:15The United States has Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington.
01:28Mexico, for its part, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
01:31And Canada, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.
01:34Mexico becomes the first country to host three World Cups after 1970 with Pelé and 1986 with Maradona.
01:41How crazy! What's more, the opening match will be at the Azteca Stadium, which is already being renovated for this historic event.
01:47The final, however, will be at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home of the New York Giants and the Jets.
01:51This stadium has already hosted important finals such as the 2016 Copa América and the 2017 Club World Cup.
01:57Other changes that could occur in the tournament, such as the elimination of ties in the group stage, are also possible.
02:02If there is a tie, it would go straight to penalties.
02:04All of this is to prevent possible collusion between teams.
02:06Nothing is confirmed yet, but it would be pretty crazy.
02:09And another very interesting fact is that Kylian Mbappé will arrive at 27 years old with 12 goals in World Cups,
02:14just 5 goals away from surpassing Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer.
02:18If he surpasses that number in this World Cup, the Frenchman would become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
02:23So far, 13 teams have already secured their place.
02:25The three hosts, plus Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Ecuador and Brazil.
02:32And for album fans, the release date for the World Cup album has been confirmed.
02:36which will be in March 2026 with more than 900 cards.
02:40So you'd better start saving now because that album isn't going to be filled easily.
02:44In summary, the 2026 World Cup promises to be the biggest tournament in history.
02:48And we'll be here to bring you all the latest news, interesting facts, and surprises as they arise.
02:52until the ball starts rolling next year.
02:55What do you think about this?
02:56They read them in the comments.
02:57Bye bye.
