FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday unveiled the logo for 2026 FIFA World Cup at an event in Los Angeles, California. Tournament will take place in the summers of 26

This is the first time in the history that three nations will be hosting the tournament. The United States of America, Canada and Mexico will host the tournament.

“For the first time in history, an image of the actual trophy and the tournament hosting year is being depicted, forming an innovative design language that anchors the FIFA World Cup emblem for 2026 and beyond. The image of the trophy and the year allow for customisation to reflect the uniqueness of each host while building an identifiable brand structure for years to come,” Gianni Infantino said.

“The next edition of the FIFA World Cup will be held in June and July 2026, with the champions being crowned on July 19, 2026. The four-team group stage phase remains ahead of an expanded knockout phase that will see the 32 world’s best national teams fight it out for the game’s ultimate prize,” he added.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar, the first time the tournament was held in an Arab country. Argentina won the final.

FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President Victor Montaglisaid FIFA World Cup 2026 will be a festival of football that will take the sport to new heights in the Concacaf region and beyond.

“With 104 matches to be played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA, it provides a tremendous opportunity to engage people and bring new fans to the beautiful game. This innovative brand, and the inclusive ‘WE ARE 26’ campaign, are major milestones that bring that opportunity a step closer, and they send a clear signal that this incredible competition is now truly on the horizon.”This is the first time that India will also be participating in this sport. Just two wins away from qualifying for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2023, India we be playing the Playoffs on May 19, and 20.

India will play the Playoffs in the Asia and Oceania Region along with seven other countries — Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea Republic and New Zealand — qualified via online qualifiers Play-Ins and online qualifiers Main Stage.

The Playoffs will follow a double-elimination format. India are seeded fourth in the bracket, being the second highest ranked Nation among the four Winners of the Quarter Final Matches in the Play-Ins stage. The FIFAe Nations Playoffs will feature a total prize pool of $36,000.

(With inputs from ANI and IANS)