The main football event of the four-year cycle — the World Cup — starts this Thursday, June 11, reports the Russian service of the BBC.
The tournament will last more than a month and will conclude with the final match on July 19 at the stadium in East Rutherford.
The Largest in History
This championship will be the largest in history. This year, 48 teams will participate — a record for all time. A total of 104 matches will be played (also a record) across three countries (another record).
FIFA has been constantly increasing the number of participants, and so far this has seemed justified. In 1998, 32 teams went to the championship: this format was maintained until 2022 and was considered optimal.
Then FIFA decided to expand the tournament by one and a half times to increase interest in football in countries that had rarely or never qualified for the World Cups before.
Due to the increase in the number of participants, the tournament format has changed. Until now (from 1998 to 2022), 32 teams were divided into eight groups. The top two teams from each group advanced to the next stage, while the bottom two teams were eliminated.
Now the playoffs will start from the Round of 32, meaning that 32 teams will advance to the next stage. In the group stage, participants are divided into 12 groups of four teams. The teams that finish in the top two positions, as well as the eight best teams finishing third, will qualify for the playoffs.
Due to the change in format, there is no need to expect so-called "groups of death," where the draw brings together four teams of roughly equal strength into one group. For one of the favorites to fail to advance from the group, it will require serious effort — this will not just be a failure, but a stunning disaster.
Where the Matches Will Take Place
The matches will take place in 16 stadiums located in three countries — the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
The USA previously hosted the World Cup in 1994, but this time the games will be held in different venues. A total of 11 stadiums will be used in the country: in East Rutherford (New York/New Jersey), Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Miami.
Mexico has three stadiums: the famous "Azteca" in Mexico City, which has already hosted the World Cups of 1970 and 1986, as well as venues in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Canada is hosting World Cup matches for the first time. The games will take place in two stadiums — in Toronto and Vancouver.
The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The city is located in New Jersey, just 11 kilometers from Manhattan. The arena, built in 2010, hosts the home games of the National Football League (NFL) teams — the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
Favorites and Underdogs
The list of contenders for the title at each World Cup usually consists of seven to eight teams.
First and foremost are the teams that have already won the trophy: Argentina, France, Spain, England, and Brazil.
A bit lower, bookmakers assess the chances of such giants as Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
The victory of any other team would be considered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
