Day 48 until kickoff
Forty-eight days out and the off-pitch drama is threatening to upstage the on-pitch kind — but there's plenty of good news too, if you know where to look.
The biggest story this week isn't a goal or a squad announcement — it's a $150 train ticket. NJ Transit has set its round-trip fare from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium at $150, compared to the standard $12.90 for that exact journey, and The Athletic reports that FIFA and NJ Transit are now publicly blaming each other for the price gouging. The irony of two organizations that have both been accused of squeezing fans pointing fingers at each other is almost too perfect.
More than 120 civil rights and advocacy organizations have issued a travel advisory for World Cup visitors, warning of potential threats to their human rights — a sobering counterweight to the tournament's celebratory buildup that host organizers cannot afford to ignore.
FIFA has officially confirmed 26-player squad limits for the 2026 tournament, matching the format used at Qatar 2022 and ending speculation about a possible roster expansion — coaches now know exactly what they're working with as selection decisions crystallize.
The 48-team field is now complete, with DR Congo and Iraq the last two nations to book their places, beating Jamaica and Bolivia respectively in the intercontinental playoffs. As covered last week, Italy's elimination by Bosnia-Herzegovina was the headline shock of that final qualifying window — the full cast is set, and the group stage drama can begin in earnest.
On the kit front, adidas has led the early wave of releases with Germany, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Scotland, and South Africa already unveiling home jerseys — Mexico's features a tonal Aztec sunstone graphic, while South Africa's arrives in Puma's bright yellow with green accents and cultural graphic detailing. Brazil remains the only nation to have revealed an away kit so far: a Nike design in navy with electric blue graphics inspired by the warning colors of poison dart frogs.
Tailgating bans in Boston and Seattle have frustrated American fans, with other host cities yet to announce their policies — a decision that will matter enormously to the casual American fan who may be attending their first soccer match.
The full 16-stadium list spans three countries and includes iconic venues from the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — host of the 1970 and 1986 finals — to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host the final on July 19. Toronto's 45,000-capacity stadium carries its own emotional weight: it's where Canada ended a 36-year World Cup absence by beating Jamaica to qualify for Qatar 2022.
FOX Sports' Alexi Lalas has power-ranked all 48 teams, with Germany drawing a characteristically dry assessment — "even a mediocre German team is still German" — and Ghana flagged as young and inexperienced. Worth a scroll if you want to start an argument with a friend.