It’s a big week for soccer fans, as the biggest FIFA World Cup ever kicks off with 48 teams from around the world competing on the biggest stage in the sport.
The 104-match tournament will take place in 16 host cities in three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Host cities in the US are Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The host cities in Mexico are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
In Canada the host cities are Vancouver and Toronto.
The World Cup began on June 11 and will last just over a month. If you have a soccer fan in your life and are struggling to understand the rules of what many call “the beautiful game,” here’s a quick guide to some of the confusing rules in soccer.
When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup began on June 12 and will conclude on July 20. The group stage runs through June 27, with the 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four.
The last time a World Cup match was hosted in the U.S. was in 1994.
How does the World Cup work?
Much like the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup happens every four years and is a competition between the best national men’s soccer teams in the world.
This year’s World Cup is the largest in its history, with 48 teams competing. The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups made up of four teams each. Each team plays every team in their group once in the group stage. Since there is no extra time during group stage matches, teams earn one point for a tied match and three points for a win. The points are what determine the overall standings in the World Cup.
The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams (32 teams total) then advance to the knockout stage. Matches from that point forward are single-elimination, meaning if a team loses in the knockout stage and beyond, they’re immediately eliminated.
How long does a soccer match last?
A professional soccer match has 90 minutes of regulation play, which is split into two 45-minute halves, with a 15-minute break at halftime.
Since this summer has been unseasonably hot in much of the U.S., the 2026 World Cup matches will have “mandatory hydration breaks” in addition to the regulated halftime break.
What are offsides in soccer? What is cherry-picking?
What is and isn’t considered offside in soccer can be one of the most confusing rules of the game for new fans, but it is one of the most important rules in a soccer match.
Offside rules keep players from “cherry-picking” or “goal hanging,” which is when a player stays standing near the opponent’s goal in hopes of snagging a long pass and scoring an easy, uncontested goal.
When a player is between the opponent’s last defender on the field and the opponent’s goal line, they are in an offside position. Simply being in an offside position is allowed, but being involved in an offensive play while in an offside position is an infraction, according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
Being involved in a play includes touching the ball, getting in the way of a defender or even just drawing attention from a defender.
Offside is even called if there is an incomplete pass to a player in an offside position, but an offside player will only be called offside if their team is in possession of the ball. If a player is in an offside position, but the opposing team is in possession of the ball, offside cannot be called.
There are a few exceptions. Offside isn’t called directly off throw-ins, goal kicks or corner kicks.
How does overtime work with soccer?
Overtime is called extra time in soccer. If a match is tied after the 90 minutes of regulation play, extra time is added. Extra time is a 30-minute extension, or “overtime,” with two 15-minute halves.
There will be no extra time in the group stage of the World Cup. If a match is tied in a group stage game, each team receives one point and moves forward to the next match.
In every soccer match, there is also “stoppage” time. Stoppage time is the accumulated time over each half that the ball was not actively in play.
The clock still runs when a player is injured, when the ball goes out of bounds, when teams celebrate scoring a goal or when there is a water break. The referee on the field keeps track of this lost game time and adds it to the 45 minutes at the end of each half of the match. So, if there are two minutes of stoppage time in the first half, the clock will read “45 +2” at the end of the half.
What are penalty kicks? How does a penalty kick get awarded?
Penalty kicks, often abbreviated to “PKs,” are applied in two different ways. Sometimes, penalty kicks are needed to break a tie. Other times, they are awarded to a team as advantageous free shots.
Regular penalty kicks during the course of a game are awarded when a team is fouled and denied a scoring opportunity while in an attacking position within the 18-yard box directly in front of the goalkeeper.
A penalty kick shoot-out is used to break the tie of a match if the two teams are still tied at the end of extra time. Both teams select five penalty kickers each and alternate taking shots at the opposing goalkeeper. Whoever has the most goals after five attempts each is declared the winner. If they are still tied after five attempts each, they enter a one-to-one sudden death round of PKs.
What are the rules for subbing in soccer?
In professional soccer, both teams have five player substitutions that they can use throughout the match. Each team also gets one extra substitution if the game goes into extra time. A substitution is when a player on the field is replaced with a player from the bench.
Although substitutions exist in almost every other sport, the rules for subbing in soccer are a bit different. Unlike in other sports, like American football, once a player is subbed out, they cannot re-enter the match.
What streaming service will the World Cup be on?
In New Zealand, you can watch the FIFA World Cup on TVNZ. You can catch all All Whites matches for free on TVNZ 1 and the TVNZ+ streaming app. To watch all 104 matches of the tournament, you will need to buy the one-off TVNZ+ Event Pass for $44.95.
In Australia you can watch every match live and free on SBS.
