World Cup 2026 Kicks Off: New Rules, 48 Teams, and Free Broadcasts. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place for the first time across three countries. Spanish viewers will be able to watch matches for free on La 1 and RTVE Play. The tournament will feature 48 national teams, with the final to be held in New York.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 with the match Mexico vs South Africa. For the first time, the tournament will be hosted by three countries — the USA, Mexico, and Canada. For Spain, this event is not only about sports: all key group stage matches will be available for free on La 1 and RTVE Play, which is especially important for fans used to paid platforms.
This year, the tournament format has changed: the number of participants has increased to 48, and the total number of matches — to 104. The group stage has expanded to 12 groups, and now not only the first and second places, but also the eight best third-placed teams advance to the playoffs. The final will take place on July 19 in New York. Such a scale means not only more football, but also serious logistical challenges for teams and fans: long distances, differences in altitude and temperature could affect the results.
Among the favorites are the reigning champions Argentina, as well as Spain, France, England, Germany, and Portugal. The Spanish national team, led by Luis de la Fuente, will start the tournament on June 15 with a match against Cape Verde. In Group H, opponents will also include Saudi Arabia (June 21) and Uruguay (June 27). All Spain's games will be shown on La 1 and RTVE Play.
Among the debutants are Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, and Curaçao. For some teams, like Haiti and DR Congo, this marks a return to the world stage after decades. Such a lineup makes this tournament the most diverse in history.
An important innovation — expanded VAR powers: now the system will monitor not only contentious goals, but also corners, second yellow cards, and errors in assigning cards. Referees will be able to start a five-second countdown for time delays on throw-ins and goal kicks, and substitutions must be completed within 10 seconds — otherwise, the player will remain off the field for at least one minute.
Schedule of key group stage matches for Spanish viewers:
- Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11, 21:00)
- Canada vs. Bosnia (June 12, 21:00)
- Brazil vs. Morocco (June 14, 00:00)
- Germany vs. Curaçao (June 14, 19:00)
- Spain vs. Cape Verde (June 15, 18:00)
- France vs. Senegal (June 16, 21:00)
- England vs. Croatia (June 17, 22:00)
- Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (June 18, 21:00)
- USA vs. Australia (June 19, 21:00)
- Netherlands vs. Sweden (June 20, 19:00)
- Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (June 21, 18:00)
- Argentina vs. Austria (June 22, 19:00)
- England vs. Ghana (June 23, 22:00)
- Scotland vs. Brazil (June 25, 00:00)
- Ecuador vs. Germany (June 25, 22:00)
- Uruguay vs. Spain (June 27, 02:00)
- Colombia vs. Portugal (June 28, 01:30)
The RTVE Play platform has launched a new channel, TDP Play, where you can watch live broadcasts, highlights, and special programs dedicated to the tournament. Full functionality requires free registration. Special attention is given to matches involving the Spanish national team and to interactive projects, such as “Las chapas del Mundial” — a gaming platform for predicting results.
Ahead of the tournament's start, users can participate in a poll on the RTVE website and choose their favorite player among the stars — from Messi and Cristiano to Haaland and Mbappé. For comparison, other national teams are also preparing for the tournament: recently, Iraq and Venezuela held a friendly match in the United States to test their squads before the championship kicked off — details about the meeting are available here.
The 2026 World Cup will be the longest and largest in history. For Spanish fans, this is a chance to follow the tournament for free and live, while for the teams it will be a test of endurance and adaptation to new conditions. It is important to remember that such changes in format and rules can affect the tournament's dynamics and make the fight for the trophy even less predictable. According to FIFA, the next World Cup will take place in 2030, and Spain is again in contention to be one of the host countries.
