World Cup 2026 Kicks Off: The Team Smaller Than Tel Aviv, the New Rules and Why It’s the Biggest Ever

Tonight in Mexico City, history returns to the Azteca Stadium in the biggest and most expensive version we have ever seen. With 48 national teams taking the field under new, stricter rules, and profits expected to break the global GDP, World Cup 2026 is set to begin a journey of 104 matches. From neighboring Jordan, which is making history, to an island nation smaller than Holon, N12 brings the full guide.

Ben Goldfriend, N12. Published: 11.06.26, 06:23

When the lights at the legendary Azteca Stadium turn on tonight at 10:00 p.m., the world of sports will change shape. World Cup 2026 is no longer just a football tournament, it is an event on a monstrous scale that stretches the boundaries of the game and promises to break every possible record. Just before kickoff in Mexico City, we dug behind the scenes of the biggest tournament in history, from the tiny team with fewer residents than Tel Aviv that stunned the world, to the dramatic rule revolution created to kill time wasting, and on to the billions that will flow into the coffers. N12 with the complete guide to the month in which the ball will not stop rolling.

The new format, more teams, more matches

World Cup 2026, which opens tonight, will run until the grand final in New Jersey on 19.7, and over the next 39 days there will be 104 matches, the highest number ever. This stems from FIFA, the governing body of world football, expanding the tournament to 48 teams, compared with 32 teams in the previous seven tournaments. The teams are divided into 12 groups of 4 teams each, the top two advance to the next stage, along with 8 teams with the best third-place records.

Messi lifts the trophy at the 2022 World Cup | Photo: Reuters

The small-team revolution, from Curaçao to the neighbor to the east

The increase in the number of participants did not affect Europe much, where Israel plays, but mainly Asia and North and Central America, which led to teams that previously never dreamed of the World Cup qualifying for it this time. Curaçao qualified for the tournament through the Central American qualifying rounds and is the smallest team in the history of the competition. It represents a country of just 156,000 people, fewer than Holon and of course also fewer than Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Alongside it will appear Cape Verde, with 556,000 residents, which is also making a historic debut. Two more teams will make their first-ever appearance in the tournament. One of them is our neighbor Jordan, which qualified through the Asian qualifiers, yes, the qualifiers that for years it was said Israel should move to in order to qualify for the tournament, and through which we also qualified for the only tournament we took part in, in 1970. Jordan finished second in its qualifying group, thanks to a 3-0 win over Oman. Also our neighbor to the east, Jordan, will be there for the first time after finishing second in the Asian group with an impressive 3-0 win over Oman. Jordan joins Uzbekistan, which edged the United Arab Emirates on the way to its own debut, and Iran, one of the first teams to secure its place in the tournament.

Advertisement Mbappe, World Cup 2026 | Photo: Reuters

The war on time wasting, the rules that will change the game

Ahead of the tournament, FIFA announced several new rules that will take effect in the matches, directly affect the flow of play from the opening whistle tonight and will likely continue to accompany us in the various leagues as well. The main purpose of the rules is to fight time wasting, make the game flow continuously and at a higher pace, and prevent a leading team from running out the clock until the final whistle.

The first rule is the "10-second substitution rule": referees have been instructed to ensure that substitutions take place within about 10 seconds only. If the player delays, the substitute will have to wait an additional minute outside the field and his team will play with a numerical disadvantage for 60 seconds.

Another rule is the "5-second rule for throw-ins and goal kicks": just as it sounds, players will be required to take a throw-in within 5 seconds or the ball will go to the opposing team. Goalkeepers will be required to take a goal kick (or a goalkeeper kick) within 5 seconds or the opposing team will receive a corner kick.

Advertisement "The one-minute waiting rule for medical treatment": to prevent a situation in which players on the leading team go down and waste time by receiving medical treatment on the field, any player who receives medical treatment on the pitch will be required to leave the field for one minute and his team will play with a numerical disadvantage.

"The captain rule" or "anti-Arsenal rule": this is a rule that has already come into effect in various leagues in recent years, under which only the team captain is allowed to approach the referee and speak with him, in order to prevent crowding around the referee, which also looks bad to spectators and wastes time. If the goalkeeper is the captain, a field player will be appointed in advance who is allowed to speak with the referee.

Another development that has drawn considerable interest concerns players covering their mouths during arguments on the field. Under the new guidelines, a player who covers his mouth with his hand, arm or shirt during a clash with an opponent may receive a red card. In addition, VAR will receive somewhat more power and it will be possible to review a red card after a second yellow, a mistaken player identification and a dispute over corner kicks.

President of FIFA Gianni Infantino | Photo: Reuters

The big money, billions in the pot and prizes for the teams

Beyond the sporting drama, this World Cup is an unprecedented economic monster. Experts estimate that the tournament will inject about 41 billion dollars into global GDP, while FIFA itself, which pushed to expand the number of matches in order to maximize broadcasting contracts and advertising space, is expected to pocket about 13 billion dollars. The battle on the pitch will also be especially lucrative: even an early exit in the group stage will net teams a handsome grant of 5 million dollars, while the happy champion will receive a cash prize of 50 million dollars.

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