How to Football?
Everything a new fan needs to survive 48 teams, 104 matches, and one glorious final.
The Big Picture
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest ever — 48 nations, 3 host countries (USA, Canada, Mexico), and 104 matches over 39 days. Here's how it all works.
How to Read a Group Table
During the group stage, each group has its own standings table. The top 2 rows advance automatically.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil 🇧🇷 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 | Argentina 🇦🇷 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 |
| 3 | Morocco 🇲🇦 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Serbia 🇷🇸 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 1 |
Tiebreaker order: Points → Goal Difference → Goals For → Head-to-head result → Disciplinary record → Drawing of lots. Teams highlighted in gold advance.
How to Read a Match Card
Match cards appear on the Schedule and Live pages. Here's what everything means.
Which group this match belongs to and your local kickoff time.
The match is live in the 1st Half. The dot pulses to show it's happening right now.
Live scores appear in gold. Pre-match shows "vs". Final scores appear in white.
After the match: FT = full time, AET = after extra time, Pen = decided by penalties.
When a Match is Tied
In the knockout stages every match must have a winner. If it's level at 90 minutes, here's what happens:
Glossary of Acronyms
Every abbreviation you'll see on this site, decoded.
The Points System
Every group stage match awards points. No ties in the knockout rounds.
Ready to follow the action?