FIFA President Gianni Infantino marks the eve of the tournament by celebrating a record-breaking 48-team expansion aimed at uniting the global community.
MEXICO CITY: FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that the FIFA World Cup would serve as a global celebration of football as the tournament prepared to kick off across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Speaking on the eve of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City’s historic Azteca Stadium, Infantino described the tournament as “a moment of joy, a moment of celebration, a moment of happiness”, whilst urging attention to remain firmly on the pitch.
“If you want to criticise me, criticise me. It’s fine, it’s okay,” Infantino told reporters. “But promote the unity of the World Cup, promote people coming to the World Cup, feeling those emotions that all of you have been feeling when you were children. I hope you can still feel them now because we want to unite the world.”
Tournament Already Breaking Records
According to the FIFA chief, the newly expanded tournament is already breaking global records before a single ball has even been kicked. He noted that more than six million tickets have already been sold, and 17,000 media representatives are accredited across the tournament’s 16 host cities.
The 2026 competition features an unprecedented 48 teams competing across 104 matches, with a staggering global television audience of six billion people expected to tune in.
“We want to host the biggest, the best, the greatest, the most inclusive World Cup in the history of FIFA,” Infantino stated.
Fans and Global Inclusivity Take Centre Stage
Infantino added that supporters remain at the absolute heart of the tournament, pointing out that the World Cup’s reach extends far beyond the physical stadiums.
“The fans make the World Cup, of course, what it is,” he said. “There will be many more millions in the fan zones, fan fests, and watch parties—not just in the three host countries but everywhere in the world.”
Key Metrics of the Expanded 2026 Tournament
| Feature | Tournament Metric |
| Host Nations | United States, Mexico, Canada |
| Total Teams | 48 countries |
| Total Matches | 104 games |
| Tickets Sold | 6 million+ |
| Expected Global Audience | 6 billion viewers |
The Swiss official also pointed to the participation of Iran as a prime example of football’s unique ability to bring nations together despite geopolitical challenges.
“When people were saying, well, it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup, I told them and I promised them that they would come,” he explained. “If I had to go with a bus to Tehran and drive them here, I would do that. I’m very happy that we managed to get Iran to come and play in this World Cup.”
Strengthening Player Relations and Unity
In a major administrative update, Infantino announced that FIFA has reached a official memorandum of understanding with FIFPRO, the global players’ union. This agreement forms part of ongoing efforts to align more closely with governing bodies, clubs, leagues, and international players.
“This is good news. It’s about unity, about bringing everyone together,” he remarked.
Concluding his address, Infantino emphasised that the World Cup offers people around the globe a rare opportunity to jointly experience the raw emotion of sport.
“All these people, they want to enjoy a moment of happiness, a moment where their day-to-day problems can be left aside and they can just enjoy the game,” he said. “They can just enjoy the game and cry if their team loses or cry if their team wins. Just feel this emotion in community with others.”
The month-long tournament begins on Thursday and is scheduled to conclude with the final on 19 July.
