The curtain may be coming down on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but attention is already turning to the next instalment of the quadrennial tournament. The past four weeks may have signalled the end of the 32-team format, but as a result of this year’s World Cup being so unexpectedly good and exceeding all expectations despite being the first to take place in the winter, there is already excitement building for the next.With that in mind, tells you all you need to know about the next World Cup, including likely dates, where it’s being held and what changes will be made.

The next World Cup will be held in 2026 - although exact start and finish dates are yet to be confirmed. Nonetheless, it will return to taking place between the summer months of June and July, following the end of the domestic season.That means that, for the first time in the competition's history, there will be a wait of less than four years until the next edition of the World Cup. The tournament is just three years and six months away. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Another first for the World Cup is that the 2026 edition will be hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. For the first time since the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan, it will be the first World Cup to be hosted by more than one country. Mexico will become the first nation to host or co-host a World Cup on three separate occasions (1970, 1986 and 2026), while it will be the USA’s second time (1994 and 2026) and Canada’s first.

The United States will host 60 matches, including every match from the quarter-finals onward, in 11 different cities: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami.Mexico will host 10 matches in three different cities (Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City) while Canada will also host 10 matches in two different cities (Vancouver and Toronto). The 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in New York is a potential venue for the 2026 World Cup final The 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in New York is a potential venue for the 2026 World Cup final.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP