The 2026 FIFA World Cup finally gets underway this week, and you can follow all of the latest breaking news before Thursday’s opening group-stage game with The Athletic. We’d also love to hear from you before Mexico vs South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday. Get in touch by emailing live@theathletic.com.

Doing picks for the World Cup is hard. Not the picking itself — which is a different challenge — but the group stage format makes early predictions a little wonky. It’ll be way easier when it gets to the knockout round.

The 2026 World Cup group stage is the biggest ever and here you can keep track on the latest standings and how the tables look in all 12 groups.

Group F at the 2026 World Cup features Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and Sweden. Find out more about their history at the World Cup.

The United States men's national team leads Group D, but Türkiye may prevent a flawless 2026 FIFA World Cup start.

A look at the latest betting odds for the 2026 World Cup.

Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are making their World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand (just to name a few) have never made it past the group stage.

Here's how to watch Tuesday's Golden State Valkyries vs Phoenix Mercury game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.

Group E at the 2026 World Cup features Germany, Curaçao, Ecuador and Ivory Coast. Find out more about their history at the World Cup.