Football’s Biggest Stage Gets Even Bigger

THE ORIGINS OF THE WORLD CUP

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the global governing body for one of the world’s most popular sports – football. FIFA was founded in 1904 in Switzerland, with its headquarters currently based in Zurich. Its role in the sport includes overseeing international football rules and supporting youth, women’s and grassroots football worldwide. One of its key roles is organising the FIFA World Cup every four years, including men’s and women’s World Cups and the U-17 and U-20 World Cups, which are held every two years. Generating billions of dollars from broadcasting and sponsorships, FIFA is one of the richest sports organisations in the world. The World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events globally, with the title currently held by Argentina, who claimed victory over France in a 3-3 draw, which saw Argentina win 4-3 in the penalty shootout.

The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, and has been held every four years since, except interruptions caused by World War II, resulting in the tournament being cancelled in 1942 and 1946. During the 1930 final, Uruguay triumphed over Argentina with a final score of 4-2, with goals by Pablo Dorado, Pedro Cea, Santos Iriarte and Héctor Castro. A proud feat for Uruguay, which secured its place in the competition on its home turf. Thirteen teams competed in the first competition, including Mexico, France and Chile; however, by 1998, this number increased to thirty-two teams. Jamaica made its debut this year, followed by Croatia, which impressed international spectators by achieving third place. Japan began its rise in international football, and lastly, this World Cup saw South Africa's participation following the end of apartheid.  

Strong competitors in the competition include France, who were crowned champions in 2018 and narrowly missed their chance to become winners in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. Germany has won the World Cup four times, most recently in the 2014 final against Argentina, with the only goal of the game scored by Mario Götze in the 113th minute of extra time. Morocco has had recent strong performances, most notably in the 2022 semi-final against France, which had a final score of 2-0 in favour of the latter. Although Portugal has only ever reached third place in its debut 1966 World Cup, it boasts world-famous players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, the only male player to ever score in five different World Cups.

LEGENDS, RECORDS AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Other notable football players who have participated include Pelé, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, who famously scored a controversial goal in the 1986 quarter-final against England. Now famously named the Hand of God, it was given this name when Maradona used his hand to score the goal, which was not witnessed by any referees, thus allowing the goal to be counted in the final score. England’s Geoff Hurst scored the first hat-trick during a final in 1966, which saw England triumph over West Germany, a record which has only been achieved by one other player - Kylian Mbappé, in the 2022 final against Argentina. This led Mbappé to win the Golden Boot in 2022, a title that has also been won by England’s captain, Harry Kane, in the 2018 World Cup. Throughout the history of the tournament, many records have been achieved, including the most overall goals scored by Germany’s Miroslav Klose, a record that he still holds to this day, scoring a total of sixteen goals. Just Fontaine scored the most goals within a single tournament, which currently stands at thirteen goals, a record that is yet to be broken. Brazil currently holds the most titles, winning a record five titles, three of which involved play from Pelé. The record for the fastest goal scored in World Cup history is held by Türkiye’s Hakan Şükür, who managed to score a goal in eleven seconds in the 2002 event.

EGYPT’S ROAD TO A FOURTH STAGE

Egypt first made its debut in the competition in 1934, hosted by Italy, becoming the first African and Arab team to ever qualify to play in the prestigious tournament, before returning in the 1990 games, also hosted by Italy. Egypt’s third appearance in 2018, hosted by Russia, was led by arguably one of the most well-known Egyptian football players, Mohamed Salah, who still holds the title for one of the biggest Egyptian stars of the game, having played for several European clubs, most notably Liverpool FC, based in England. Egypt, coached by Hossam Hassan, also triumphed over Djibouti with a 3-0 victory in October 2025, which helped the team to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, securing their fourth appearance in the history of the game. Other notable players to watch out for in the Egyptian team include the forward Mostafa Mohamed, as well as midfielder Marwan Attia, who will be working closely with Salah to ensure victory for the nation.

THE BIGGEST WORLD CUP yet

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to be hosted by three nations – USA, Canada and Mexico, with the latter being the first nation to host the competition three times (1970, 1986 and 2026). Set to be the largest World Cup in history, it will see the expansion of the number of teams from thirty-two to forty-eight, with the teams divided into twelve groups of four, with more knockout matches than previous editions due to the scale of the competition. The opening match is expected to take place in Mexico City, while the final is planned for New York, USA. Qualifying nations such as Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Curaçao are set to make their debut appearance in the upcoming tournament, followed by the return of Haiti (first appearance since 1974), Iraq (returning after last appearing in 1986), the Democratic Republic of Congo (last qualifying in 1974) and Norway (last appearing in 1998). Key players to watch out for are Norway’s powerful striker, Erling Haaland, England’s midfielder Jude Bellingham and Portugal’s João Félix. Mohamed Salah remains the one to watch out for in 2026, often contributing to most of Egypt’s goals in qualifiers, resulting in him being the central figure of the team’s attack.

Football fans are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to watch some of the world’s best footballers from different nations come together to participate in one of the most prestigious tournaments that will go down in history. The increase in participating teams has given more countries a chance to qualify and compete, which is expected to see an increase in the number of spectators tuning in globally. Given previous performances, viewers will be interested in seeing how some of the top players fare in the tournament, as well as seeing if any new records will be achieved. Football is a game that brings people together, whether viewed at home or in more social environments such as cafes and public houses. The tournament is expected to attract global attention, with spectators likely to be captivated by one of the most entertaining sports in the world.