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 14: the quarterfinals are done and the semifinals are set. Four teams remain: France, Spain, England, and Argentina. France face Spain today in Dallas. England play Argentina tomorrow in Atlanta. 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 are July 14–15. Third-place match July 18 in Miami. Final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium (NY/NJ).
Messi and Mbappe are tied on 8 goals. Haaland is stuck on 7 after Norway's exit. Kane and Bellingham sit on 6. Germany's 7–1 demolition of Curacao remains the 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.
Completed July 9–11. Four teams advanced to the semifinals.
All four former champions advanced. Norway's run ended one round short of the semis. France vs Morocco was a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal.
Four teams left. Two wins from the trophy. Winners meet in the final July 19.
Third-place match: July 18, 5 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami). Final: July 19, 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium (NY/NJ). All four of FIFA's top-ranked teams entering the tournament reached the final four.
Top scorers heading into the semifinals. Assists are the first tie-breaker.
| Player | Country | G | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 8 | 3 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 2 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway (out) | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembele | France | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Vinicius Jr | Brazil (out) | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | Deniz Undav | Germany (out) | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | Jonathan David | Canada (out) | 3 | 0 |
Mbappe and Messi are tied on 8. Mbappe holds the assist edge (3–2), so he currently leads the Golden Boot race on tiebreakers. Haaland's campaign ended with Norway's exit.
Title odds from betting markets as of July 13. France remain favorites into the semifinals.
France and Spain meet in one semifinal, so one of the two favorites is gone by tonight. England edged past Argentina in some books after beating Norway. All three co-hosts and Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Morocco, Norway, and Switzerland are out.
Select a team from the standings above, or expand any squad below.