1: One For the Underdogs The 2026 World Cup is looking to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory. Canada, the United States, and Mexico are set to host the Cup jointly -- the first time since 2002 that a shared host bid has been allowed by FIFA. Over the course of 39 days, a record breaking 48 teams will battle it out in 80 matches played across the continent in 16 stadiums: 2 in Canada (Toronto''s BMO Field, Vancouver''s BC Place); 3 in Mexico (Mexico City''s Estadio Banorte, Monterrey''s Estadio BBVA, and Guadalajara''s Estadio Akron); and a whopping 11 in the United States (Dallas''s AT&T Stadium, Kansas City''s GEHA Field, Houston''s NRG Stadium, Atlanta''s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Los Angeles''s SoFi Stadium, Seattle''s Lumen Field, San Francisco''s Levi''s Stadium, Philadelphia''s Lincoln Financial Field, Miami''s Hard Rock Stadium, New Jersey''s MetLife Stadium, and Boston''s Gillette Stadium). Interestingly, most of the American fields are being repurposed from gridiron football fields! In the last FIFA World Cup, 2022''s held in Qatar, Argentina won their third title in a penalty shootout against France, but given the expanded format for the 2026 World Cup, it really is anyone''s game, even for historical underdogs. The storylines are sure to be gripping. In North America, for instance, the three hosts have earned automatic entry into the Cup. Will Canada''s men''s team seize glory and make it out of the group stage for the first time? Will Mexico find their way beyond the quarter finals? Will the United States finally surmount their best showing, 1930''s third place finish? (See fact 6). Even when considering the tournament''s European giants, the football faithful are in for a treat.
The eternal underdog of European football, England, has shown remarkably good form. In no small part thanks to captain Harry Kane, England won every match in their qualifying group, earning a spot with two games to spare and absolutely crushing their final game 5-0 against Latvia. Who knows, the 2026 Cup may well be the one to finally "come home" for England''s long-suffering fans. And in Oceania, the little team that could (see fact 63), the New Zealand All Whites, have secured their third ever qualification with a dominant 3-0 win over New Caledonia. Perhaps this time the All Whites will bring some of their qualifying luck with them into the tournament proper. In Africa, no team has ever made the top three in a World Cup. But, building on their 2022 fourth place finish, Morocco''s Atlas Lions were the first African team to qualify for the 2026 Cup. Moreover, they are the only African team to have won 100 percent of their matches.
In Asia, though regional giant Japan sliced their way through the competition, newcomers like Jordan have qualified for the Cup for the very first time. The small kingdom has been attempting to earn a place since 1986, so this represents 40 years of improvement! Likewise, in South America, arguably the continent of football''s most dedicated fanatics, Paraguay is returning to the tournament after a 16-year absence via a nail-biting tie breaker shootout with Ecuador. Paraguay is the only South American team not to have qualified with a shutout. That being said, the team has undergone a significant transformation since their last showing in 2010 and could easily use the momentum of their win to shine in the tournament. 3: Why Is a Soccer Ball Black and White? Have you ever wondered why a soccer ball is black and white? Originally, soccer balls were made of animal bladders and covered in leather, which made them brown. As the game advanced and floodlights entered the arena to allow games to be played at night, the balls were painted fully white in order for players to track the ball in the dark. This all changed in 1970 when Mexico hosted the World Cup. Adidas introduced a new type of ball called the Telstar that featured the black and white hexagons we see today.
The reasoning behind this sudden change in design? Television. Much like the introduction of stadium lighting, with matches being aired on television, the black and white pattern made it easier for fans to follow and track the ball when watching it on a screen, especially for those who didn''t own colour TVs. Although the technology of the soccer ball continues to advance today, the black and white pattern of the Telstar remains the standard worldwide.