Every four years, people around the world prepare for the biggest sporting event on earth: the FIFA World Cup.
For the first time ever, Canada, Mexico and the United States will co-host the 23rd edition of the tournament, which will feature teams from 48 countries spread across 16 cities from June 11 to July 19.
With over 1.5 billion people tuning in to the 2022 final, the World Cup is not only one of the most-watched sports tournaments, but also one of the most-watched events of all time. Even in non-participating countries such as China and India, millions tuned in to watch Argentina narrowly defeat France four years ago.
The number of countries participating in the 2026 World Cup is the highest ever
A record 48 countries have qualified for this year’s tournament, which will feature 104 matches, 40 more than in 2022.
Four countries will be participating in the tournament for the first time: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Curaçao is making history as the smallest country to ever participate, in terms of land area and population indicators. The country has a population of just over 150,000 people and a land area of 171 square miles.
Which countries have participated in the past?
Since the tournament began in 1930, nearly 90 countries from every continent (excluding Antarctica) have participated. The tournament was only interrupted once in the 1940s, due to two consecutive cancellations during World War II.
Even as borders have changed and nations disintegrated over the past century, the World Cup has endured.
The only country participating in all tournaments is Brazil. Germany comes in a close second, having only missed two tournaments since its inception.
Both countries participated despite the split, but East Germany only appeared in 1974 when West Germany hosted the tournament. West Germany were one of the most dominant teams in early World Cup history, reaching 100 World Cup goals in just eight tournaments, fewer than any other team.
The first tournament, held in 1930 and won by Uruguay, attracted 13 countries from two continents: Europe and America. The first African country to participate in the competition was Egypt in 1934. Asia entered the scene in 1938 with the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), but no matches have been played since. In 1974, Australia finally made its debut.
Who won the tournament?
Brazil has won the most tournaments with five, followed by Germany and Italy with four. Germany won three titles in 1954, 1974 and 1990 as West Germany, and one title in 2014 as unified Germany.
Although Uruguay has officially won the World Cup twice, FIFA recognizes the two Olympic soccer championships in 1924 and 1928 as equivalent to championships, which is why the team’s coat of arms features four stars.
How has the prize money changed?
This year’s winning team will receive $50 million in prize money from FIFA out of a total prize pool of $727 million. The amount increases based on championship standings, but each team participating is guaranteed to take home at least $10.5 million.
FIFA first publicly awarded prize money to World Cup champions in 1982. The winner took home $2.2 million, or approximately $8 million in 2026 dollars.
In addition to receiving funding from FIFA, countries have also rewarded teams for performing well in tournaments. Some notable rewards include:
