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The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament begins today, June 11, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City Stadium. The global sports fiesta to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada will end on July 19. The FIFA World Cup is unarguably the greatest sports showpiece in the world, where teams from different continents compete for a single trophy, cash rewards and bragging rights. It is going to be the first time since 2002 the tournament will be co-hosted by multiple nations and also the first FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by three nations.
Many of the finest teams in the world will compete in 16 cities for the group stage — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada – to lift the coveted trophy. This year’s tournament is going down as the biggest World Cup ever in history. Forty eight teams will be competing in 12 groups of four teams, with each qualified nation playing against each and the best two qualifying for the round of 32 knockout stage. The winners will proceed to the round of 16, and so on and so forth until the final match, which will be played on July 19.
Two of the three co-host nations have previously hosted the tournament before. The United States first hosted it in 1994, which was lifted by Brazil; while Mexico hosted it twice in 1970 and 1986. It is an opportunity for them to upgrade their hosting capabilities. This year’s tournament is also a return to its traditional summer schedule after the 2002 outing in Qatar with an irregular November-December schedule due to weather concerns. Over 1,000 football stars are expected to showcase their talents at the World Cup.
Some of the greatest footballers in the world will feature in the Mundial. They include soccer greats like Lionel Messi of Argentina, Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele of France, Erling Halland of Norway, Vinicius Junior of Brazil, Mohammed Salah of Egypt, Lucah Modrich of Croatia, Virgil van Dijk of Netherlands, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Jeremy Doku of Belgium, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka of England, and Lamine Yamal of Spain, among others. Like in every World Cup, football fans are also eagerly waiting for the rise of new stars to hog the limelight.
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For the first time, 10 African teams will compete at the Mundial. These include Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, Cape Verde, DRC Congo, Coted-Ivoire and South Africa. The highest ranked African teams – the 2022 semi finalist – Morocco, and the 2025 AFCON winner, Senegal, are expected to carry the continent’s hope. Football pundits tip football power houses, Spain and France, as the favourites to win the tournament. Other top-tier contenders include England, Portugal, Argentina, and Brazil. Norway, Morocco, and Senegal are regarded as dark horses, ready to spring a surprise.
It is regrettable that the Super Eagles of Nigeria, one of the best teams in Africa, will again miss the global football fiesta due to their uncoordinated and weak World Cup campaign. Nigeria’s inconsistency with coaches might have contributed to our inability to qualify for the Mundial. When the current Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, came on board, it was too late to salvage the situation. The hope of the Super Eagles to be at the Mundial finally crashed when Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Nigeria through penalty during the African World Cup playoff.
It is sad that the Super Eagles, currently the third highest ranked African team by FIFA, will again be absent at the FIFA World Cup, having failed to be at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. With the abundant football talents in Nigeria, the Super Eagles ought to be at the World Cup. However, their dream crumbled due to administrative lapses and lack of cohesion at the World Cup qualifying games. Let the quest for the 2030 World Cup be pursued with vigour and high sense of responsibility by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), coaching crew, the players and other stakeholders. The federal government should give the team and crew the necessary support to prosecute the 2030 World Cup campaign. The Super Eagles must be at the next World Cup.
Although the Super Eagles missed the 2026 World Cup, four Nigerian music stars – Burna Boy, Davido, Rhema, and Arya Star –will be there as our cultural ambassadors. Their choice is in recognition of Nigeria’s growing musical influence globally. We wish the 10 African teams a successful outing and urge them to go beyond the semi final finishing recorded by Morocco in the 2022 World Cup Qatar.
