The time is coming! Learn all about the FIFA World Cup

The time is coming! Learn all about the FIFA World Cup The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally knocking at the door. The FIFA World Cup will kick off this Thursday (10), with Mexico facing South Africa at the Azteca Stadium. Besides renewing our hope for a sixth title, the tournament also promises to bring great stories on the pitch. To help you get even more into the World Cup spirit, OneFootball brings you the main information and updates about the tournament below. Check it all out here: Groups Group A 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🇰🇷 South Korea, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic Group B 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇶🇦 Qatar, 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups A and B Group C 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🏴 Scotland, 🇭🇹 Haiti Group D 🇺🇸 United States, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇵🇾 Paraguay, 🇹🇷 Turkey Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups C and D Group E 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇪🇨 Ecuador, 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast, 🇨🇼 Curaçao Group F 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇹🇳 Tunisia, 🇸🇪 Sweden Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups E and F Group G 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇳🇿 New Zealand Group H 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇺🇾 Uruguay, 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia, 🇨🇻 Cape Verde Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups G and H Group I 🇫🇷 France, 🇸🇳 Senegal, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇮🇶 Iraq Group J 🇦🇷 Argentina, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇯🇴 Jordan Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups I and J Group K 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇨🇴 Colombia, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan, 🇨🇩 DR Congo Group L 🏴 England, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇵🇦 Panama, 🇬🇭 Ghana Click here to see the detailed preview of Groups K and L Match and goal records Major milestones could be broken or extended at this World Cup, with some of the biggest stars taking center stage. Lionel Messi is already the player with the most appearances in the tournament’s history and could widen the gap over the second-placed player. But Cristiano Ronaldo has the chance to climb the list and perhaps join the Argentine in the top two spots. See the current ranking below: Lionel Messi : Argentina, 26 matches Lothar Matthäus : Germany, 25 Miroslav Klose : Germany, 24 Paolo Maldini : Italy, 23 Cristiano Ronaldo : Portugal, 22 Diego Maradona : Argentina, 21 Uwe Seeler : Germany, 21 Wladislaw Zmuda : Poland, 21 When it comes to goals, Messi’s battle is with Kylian Mbappé. Both have a chance to catch German forward Miroslav Klose, the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.  Miroslav Klose (Germany): 16 goals in 24 matches Ronaldo (Brazil): 15 goals in 19 matches Gerd Müller (Germany): 14 goals in 13 matches Lionel Messi (Argentina): 13 goals in 26 matches Just Fontaine (France): 13 goals in 6 matches Kylian Mbappé (France): 12 goals in 14 matches Pelé (Brazil): 12 goals in 14 matches Brazil on top Brazil have not won a World Cup since 2002, when they lifted their fifth title. The 24-year title drought is the longest in the country’s history since our first triumph in 1958. The last time Brazil went this long without winning the World Cup, we ended the drought in a tournament played in the United States, in 1994. And even with that drought, Brazil still holds hugely relevant records in the tournament’s history. No other country has more matches played, wins, goals scored, or, of course, titles. Format This year’s World Cup will be the first with 48 participating national teams. They have been divided into 12 groups of four countries each. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams. That means 32 teams will qualify, giving the tournament one extra round. Instead of starting with the round of 16, the knockout stage will begin with the round of 32. From there on, it will be the format we already know well: single-elimination matches all the way to the final that will decide the champion. Throughout the knockout stage, if a match is level after 90 minutes, qualification will be decided in extra time. If the score remains tied, there will be a penalty shootout. Tiebreakers Until 2022, goal difference was the first tiebreaker if two teams finished level on points in the group stage.  For 2026, FIFA introduced changes, giving more weight to head-to-head results between teams with the same number of points. If two or more teams in the same group are tied on points after the completion of the group stage, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the standings: Step one - Highest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned; - Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned; - Highest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned. If no decision can be reached through this procedure, the criteria below will be applied as follows to the two or more teams that remain tied on points: Step two - Superior goal difference in all group matches; - Highest number of goals scored in all group matches; - Highest team conduct score (players and coaching staff) based on the number of yellow and red cards received. If no decision can be reached through the procedures in steps one and two above, the standings will be determined by the most recently published FIFA ranking. New rules The World Cup will also mark the debut of new football rules in major tournaments. Check out the main changes below: - A player seen covering their mouth during an argument may receive a red card - If a player leaves the field in protest over a refereeing decision, they may receive a red card - If a goalkeeper takes too long to take a goal kick, the referee will start a five-second count. If the ball is not put back into play within that period, the opposing team will be awarded a corner kick - If a player takes too long to take a throw-in, the referee will start a five-second count. If the ball is not put back into play within that period, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team - Players may not take longer than ten seconds to leave the field when being substituted. If they fail to comply, they will still have to leave the field, but the substitute will have to wait one minute (or until the next stoppage in play) to come on, leaving the team one player short during that period - If a player needs medical treatment on the field, they will have to leave the field and wait one minute (or until the next stoppage in play) before returning to the match - VAR will be able to intervene in new situations: Correcting an incorrectly shown second yellow card Correcting a corner kick that was awarded incorrectly, provided the review can be carried out quickly Infractions by the attacking team in set-piece situations committed before the ball is put into play This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.