When the referee’s whistle blows at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening, the curtain will rise on the largest football tournament in history. Forty-eight nations, 104 matches and 16 host cities spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico — the 2026 FIFA World Cup is not just a tournament, it is a 39-day global festival that begins tomorrow, June 11.

The day’s most significant news came from Alabama, where Lionel Messi returned from a hamstring concern and scored from the penalty spot as defending champions Argentina beat Iceland 3-0 in their final warm-up friendly. The 38-year-old Inter Miami forward, widely expected to be playing his sixth and final World Cup, had missed Argentina’s previous friendly while managing muscle fatigue. His return to the scoresheet — setting up another goal and converting a penalty — has eased fitness concerns ahead of Argentina’s title defence opener against Algeria on June 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, will also make his sixth World Cup appearance with Portugal, making this tournament an unprecedented farewell for two of the sport’s greatest players. France’s Kylian Mbappé, Brazil’s returning Neymar, Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Germany’s Florian Wirtz ensure the generation of tomorrow is also ready to announce itself on the world stage.

One politically charged subplot hangs over the tournament: FIFA has revoked Iran’s fan ticket allocation for all three of its group-stage matches played in the United States, citing the ongoing US-Iran conflict and security concerns. Iran’s match against Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles draws particular attention. The war that has dominated global headlines since February 28 will cast a shadow even here, on football’s grandest stage.

The new 48-team format sees 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advancing to a 32-team round of 16. The final takes place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — with Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé and an entire generation of footballers competing for the most coveted prize in sport.