CONCORD, NH — The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest soccer tournament, is coming to an end.
Fans from around the world have been traveling to North America to enjoy the matches since early June. This year, 48 teams were involved in the tournament — the most in history.
Here are some places to watch the final games.
The beginning of the World Cup featured an unprecedented trio of star-studded opening ceremonies in the host nations, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, created by the Italian producer behind the opening ceremony for this year's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The ceremonies' unifying theme was “the celebration of sports, the passion for soccer, symbolized by the cup itself,” Marco Balich, creative director of Milan-based Balich Wonder Studio, told The Associated Press. “The idea is to narrate with three points of view and languages,” using design aesthetics representative of each culture.
In Canada, a mosaic represented its multicultural identity. Mexico's motif will be the traditional paper cutouts called papel picado, while the United States had “a super shiny, glowing cup,” said Balich, who also produced the opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Each ceremony featured top artistic performances that tapped into the national identity. The ceremonies combined welcoming speeches, a parade of flags, the presentation of the match ball, and about 30 minutes of musical entertainment.
The U.S. opening ceremony took place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles before the USA vs. Paraguay opening match. Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla headlined an all-star lineup.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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