A World Cup guide for new football fans

A World Cup guide for new football fans 1 day ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu Washington DC Getty Images Christian Pulisic of the US men's team gets some air time during a friendly match against Germany It's difficult to miss the buzz and excitement surrounding the Fifa World Cup. Football (or soccer, as they call it in North America) is the world's most popular sport and the World Cup is the most prestigious prize of them all. For the first time in the tournament's nearly 100-year history, it will be jointly hosted by three countries - Mexico, Canada and the United States. The opening match will be played in Mexico City on 11 June. And the final is in the US state of New Jersey on 19 July. For anyone new to the beautiful game, here's what you need to know: The World Cup is staged every four years. The 2026 tournament is the largest ever, with 48 countries competing. Using world rankings, the teams have been drawn into 12 groups of four countries. The top two teams in each group automatically go through to the next phase - which is known as the round of 32. Winning a match earns a team three points. Draws (or tying the match) gives both teams one point. A loss means, you guessed it, zero points. The rest of the round of 32 teams are made up of the teams who came in third during the group stage and had the best overall results. Sixteen teams are eliminated in this phase. Matches are 90 minutes long, broken into two 45-minute halves. Players have a 15-minute break at half-time. The game clock is constantly ticking, there's no pause for stoppages. A few extra minutes are added at the end of the halves to make up for any time spent treating players for injuries, delays and mandatory water breaks, which have been introduced by Fifa to help with the summer heat. There are no penalty shootouts in the group stage to determine the winner of a match. After the group stage, if a match is tied, an extra 30 minutes is played. If there is still no winner, there will be penalty kicks. What are the host cities in each country? Mexico : Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City Canada : Toronto and Vancouver US : Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle Who are the favourites? Two-time winners France and 2010 champions Spain are two teams hotly tipped. France have a stellar squad of players, including Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who have powered their individual clubs in Europe's top competitions. Spain will be banking on youthful talent such as 18-year-old Lamine Yamal to lead them to a second major trophy in two years. England, after back-to-back heartbreak in the finals of two European Championships, are also in with a chance. And there is of course the traditional favourites Brazil, the most successful country in the tournament. Brazil are seeking their sixth world title, which would be their first since 2002. Watch: BBC tests out