Today (11), at 2:30 pm, the most exciting sporting event begins, with the largest audiences on the planet: the World Cup, which, in 2026, will have three host countries: Mexico, the United States and Canada. According to the International Football Federation (Fifa), around 5 billion people watched the Qatar World Cup in 2022. Related news: Brasileirão has a record number of players called up for a World Cup. In the midst of the war with the USA, Iran arrives for the World Cup. With a stellar squad, Spain tops Group H of the World Cup. The final match alone, played between the teams of Argentina and France, had more than 1.5 billion spectators. It was the largest sports audience in history, according to the official FIFA report. In the digital environment, also according to official data, the accumulated reach was approximately 262 billion views on different platforms and almost 6 billion interactions. Unite the world FIFA president Gianni Infantino says that the record audiences achieved by football during the World Cup are due to the fact that this sport carries with it “the magic of uniting the world”. This union described by Infantino enables cultural connections that were widely noticed by Brazilians during the 2014 World Cup, both in the country's stadiums and around the arenas and tourist attractions in the cities that hosted the matches. The expectations of the current edition, with three host countries and a record number of participating teams (48 instead of 32), are to make the 2026 World Cup the biggest and most inclusive in history. Cultural melting pot In addition to expanding the territorial dimension of the tournament, the 2026 edition will reinforce a traditional characteristic of the World Cups: diversity, as it is a tournament that brings together different cultures, styles and histories. This is because it will enable cultural connections between fans in three different countries. Each with its own characteristics and identities. News In 2026, in addition to news that will set the tone for the next World Cups, such as the greater number of participating countries, there are some interesting facts to be observed during the current edition. For example, the opening game will repeat the confrontation between Mexico and South Africa – the same one that started the 2010 World Cup. It is the first time that this has happened since the competition started to have a format with an opening match, instead of several simultaneous games. Another curiosity is that the Azteca Stadium will be the first in history to host three opening World Cups (1970, 1986 and 2026). Opening ceremony Regarding the opening ceremony, FIFA organized an unprecedented countdown event with simultaneous shows in three cities: Mexico City, Toronto and Los Angeles. The so-called Countdown Concerts were conceived as an integrated experience between the three countries, with musical performances in synchronized time and cross-broadcasts, bringing together local and international artists the day before the start of the tournament. In Mexico, which will host the inaugural game, the presentation will highlight traditional elements, with music, dance and references to local culture, including artistic manifestations such as Papel Picado, the country's festive symbol, as well as the participation of indigenous talents and expressions of contemporary folklore. Artists Among the artists confirmed by FIFA for the ceremony at the Azteca Stadium are Shakira, Burna Boy, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla. In the United States, the ceremony in Los Angeles will feature performances by artists such as Katy Perry, Future, Lisa, Rema and Tyla, as well as Brazilian Anitta. In Canada, the featured artists are Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. Controversies Before it even starts, the 2026 World Cup has already served as a fertile environment for controversies, mainly due to American domestic and foreign policies. Amid the war against Iran, the USA has adopted immigration policies considered abusive, making visas difficult, in order to restrict the entry of players, referees and fans into its territory. One of the cases involves Iraqi player Aymen Hussein, detained for several hours at US immigration, where he underwent rigorous interrogation. Considered a highlight of the team, he had his cell phone inspected before being allowed to enter the country. Other members of the delegation were not authorized to enter. The USA also barred the entry of award-winning referee Omar Artan, from Somalia, when he arrived at Miami International Airport, coming from Istanbul. He was deemed inadmissible due to “background check concerns,” according to customs, in a statement that did not specify what those concerns were. This would be the first time that a Somali referee would participate in a World Cup. The Iranian delegation had to change its plans after being banned from spending the night in US territory after the games. Initially, it was planned that they would stay in the US state of Arizona. Given the refusal from the US government, the solution was to host the delegation in the city of Tijuana, Mexico, where they will have to return after each match played in the USA. There are also reports of Iranian fans who had their tickets canceled just a few days before the start of the World Cup.