FIFA World Cup 2026 talking points: NFL-style half-time show, kits and more
Article excerpt
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is arriving with a slate of storylines beyond the pitch. The tournament will feature an NFL-style halftime show, new kit designs, and other innovations as the sport prepares for what organizers are positioning as a modernized spectacle. Al Jazeera examines the key narratives shaping expectations for the competition, which kicks off next week across multiple host nations. The coverage highlights how soccer's biggest event is adopting entertainment formats borrowed from American sports while grappling with questions about kit aesthetics and tournament logistics.
With less than a week to go until the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, the buzz around football’s most prestigious tournament is growing.
The monthlong spectacle, featuring the best talent, will be the longest and biggest edition in the tournament’s 96-year history.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Al Jazeera takes a look at the top five key talking points:
World Cup across three countries, in a first
All men’s World Cup editions between 1930, the inaugural tournament, and the last one in 2022, were held in a single host nation, barring 2002 when Japan and South Korea cohosted the tournament.
This year marks the first time a FIFA World Cup, men’s or women’s, will be played across three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Sixteen stadiums in 16 cities, spread across the eastern, western and central regions of North America, will host a whopping 104 matches across 39 days.
The 2030 World Cup will also be played across three countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The biggest participation pool and an extra knockout round
The upcoming World Cup will be the biggest and most diverse edition so far, featuring 48 teams.
Among those, nations from UEFA (Europe) had the most direct slots (16), followed by CAF (Africa), which had nine and AFC (Asia), eight.
More teams also mean more matches, and thus the addition of an extra phase.
For the first time in World Cup history, teams that make it past the group stage will begin the knockouts with a round of 32 clash.
The World Cup winners this year will have to go through eight games en route to title victory, one more than the seven games that Argentina won to lift the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.
NFL-style half-time show for the final
This year’s World Cup has a distinctly North American touch to it.
For the first time in history, a football World Cup final will feature a half-time show, inspired by the NFL’s Super Bowl.
Expect fireworks to light up the New York skyline when a pop party kicks off during the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium.
K-pop supergroup BTS, Madonna, and Colombian star Shakira will co-headline the programme, while British rock band Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin will curate the half-time show, which is reported to be 11 minutes long.
It is not the first time that American football’s influence has seeped into what people in the US call “soccer”, a half-time final show was also held at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG at the same venue, featuring performances from rapper Doja Cat, singer J Balvin and others.
J Balvin, who performed at the 2025 Club World Cup, returns for the 2026 World Cup final’s half-time show [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]
The beautiful kits
The hype around the World Cup this year first started when the teams’ kits dropped in late March.
Jerseys by sportswear giant Adidas emerged as the people’s favourite, thanks to some beautiful designs: from the concentric ribbed pattern spreading across Japan’s bright blue home kit to the lemon yellow away shirt of Curacao, inspired by the colourful buildings found in the island’s capital, Willemstad.
Also watch out for Argentina’s black and blue away kit, featuring Fileteado folk art style, France’s dark blue home kit which has a pristine white collar, and South Africa’s lush gold and forest green away kit, adorned with vertical stripes made up of triangular hand-drawn tile patterns.
90 minutes or 24/7. wear yours everywhere. you're welcome. 🤝
introducing 26 world-class kits for '26: https://t.co/kFNkQLTtFopic.twitter.com/bJOmAu9ZeJ
, adidas Football (@adidasfootball) March 20, 2026
New pre-game ceremony
Exactly a week before the opening match, FIFA announced a new pre-game ceremony.
Before every World Cup game kicks off, all players in the matchday squad, not just the starting 11, will line up around the centre circle before the national anthems are played.
The ceremony, which FIFA said “transforms the stadium into a shared stage”, will include extra-large country flag banners and will see players enter the pitch through a dedicated arch closest to the tunnel.
“No matter where supporters are seated, each will have a distinct and engaging perspective, with extra-large country flag banners and on-pitch elements carefully positioned to involve the crowd in an authentic and meaningful way,” FIFA explained.
Below is an example of how the pre-game ceremony will look at the opening match of the tournament, Mexico vs South Africa, on June 11 at Mexico City Stadium.
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