(The Epoch Times)—The largest, most inclusive, and most widespread World Cup tournament in FIFA’s history kicks off with two games in Mexico on June 11.

For the next several weeks, nearly 50 nations will compete in more than 100 games in stadiums spread out across Mexico, the United States, and Canada—the first time FIFA has allowed three countries to co-host the event.

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Here is a breakdown of what to know.

Tournament Format

The World Cup begins with a “Group Stage,” which runs from June 11 to June 27, and consists of 72 matches in 16 cities across North America.

Several months prior, all 48 qualifying teams were placed into 12 groups of four.

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia.

Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland.

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland.

Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey.

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.

Group F: The Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand.

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay.

Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, and Norway.

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.

Group K: Portugal, Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.

The top two teams in each group, as well as eight third-place finishers with the best records or most points overall, will advance to a single-game elimination round.
Those surviving 32 teams will drop to 16, then the remaining eight teams will play in the quarter-finals scheduled for July 9, 10, and 11.

The two semi-final matches are set for July 14 and July 15. The two winners will play in the final on July 19, while the two losers will play for third place the day before.

Where Will World Cup Games Take Place?

The teams will be spread out to 16 locations across the three North American host nations.

Mexico

Mexico City kicks things off on June 11 when Mexico hosts South Africa at 3 p.m. ET.

The capital city will host two other group stage games, with Colombia playing Uzbekistan at 10 p.m. on June 17, and Mexico playing Czechia at 9 p.m. on June 24. Mexico City will also host multiple games during the first and second rounds of elimination before the quarter finals.

Guadalajara, Mexico, will also participate in opening day excitement, hosting South Korea’s match against Czechia at 10 p.m.

This city will get a chance to host its home team when Mexico plays South Korea at 9 p.m. on June 18. It will also showcase a 10 p.m. match between Colombia and Congo on June 23, and an 8 p.m. game between Spain and Uruguay on June 26.

No games beyond the group stage will be played here, and safety concerns due to persisting cartel violence hover over the festivities.

Monterrey is the third location south of the border to host the World Cup. It will host Tunisia for two games: the first is against Sweden at 10 p.m. on June 14, and the second is against Japan at midnight on June 21. It’ll then host South Korea against South Africa at 9 p.m. on June 24, and then multiple games in the round of 32 and round of 16.

United States

Los Angeles gets the honor of being the World Cup’s first stop in the United States, with Team USA facing off against Paraguay at 9 p.m. on June 12.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to lead a delegation to the game that includes Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. The State Department said that Rubio would meet with Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña “to advance the U.S.-Paraguay strategic partnership spanning regional security, trade and investment, and emerging technology.”

Los Angeles is also set to host Iran’s national team on June 15, just as the armed conflict between its Islamic regime and the United States appears to be ramping back up.

World Cup matches will take place in 10 other cities and regions across the United States, including Atlanta, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York/New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia.

The defending champions, Argentina, and its iconic superstar Lionel Messi, will make their debut in Kansas City against Algeria at 9 p.m. on June 16.

World Cup quarter-finals will be held in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Kansas City, while the semi-finals will be played in Dallas and Atlanta.

The World Cup final will be played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey, the home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The play-off for third place will take place in Miami.

Canada

North of the border, Toronto and Vancouver will also host some games. Team Canada will play the first game in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3 p.m. on June 12, and then Australia will kick things off in Vancouver against Turkey at midnight on June 14.

Both cities will also host games during the first two elimination rounds.

Millions Coming From Around the World

An estimated 6.5 million people are expected to attend the World Cup games, with 40 percent of the fan base coming from outside the host countries.
Traveling fan groups were expected to come from World Cup staples like Brazil, Argentina, England, and Germany. Scotland’s 10,000-strong “Tartan Army” is also expected to make a comeback as their team qualifies for the first time since 1998.

Social media has already been filled with posts made by visiting Europeans finding new appreciation for different aspects of America in the lead-up to the games.

But the expected influx of visitors has triggered a need to increase the level of security as people gather to cheer on their team and celebrate the tournament.

FBI Director Kash Patel promised that his agency, alongside the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement, will provide the “full range of counterterrorism expertise” to “ensure the safety of players, fans, and all Americans and visitors during the tournament.”

Canada announced it would spend up to $145 million in federal funding on increased security in Toronto and Vancouver for the World Cup.

Meanwhile in Mexico, more than 100,000 police officers, National Guardsmen, soldiers, and marines were expected to be deployed to its three host cities. Guadalajara alone has received more than 15,000 security officers after the city became the setting of deadly cartel activity in February with the killing of the head of a major cartel.

Chris Summers contributed to this report.