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We're now less than a week away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, with teams currently making their final preparations ahead of the big kick-off in the United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday. This is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams having qualified, meaning there are a whole host of players making their first appearance on the global stage.

FIFA has announced a significant protocol modification that will see every squad member take part in the pre-match national anthems at the upcoming World Cup. Moving away from traditional sporting custom, football's global governing body has mandated that both starting line-ups and substitutes congregate together on the pitch ahead of kick-off.

France captain Kylian Mbappe has candidly admitted that he has never rewatched his country's heartbreaking 2022 World Cup final defeat against Argentina. Despite netting a historic hat-trick during the thrilling showpiece event in Qatar, the Real Madrid superstar confessed that revisiting the painful memory could reopen old psychological wounds.

The 2026 World Cup is set to be a historic tournament, unlike any that have come before it. Expanded to 48 teams for the first time and spread across three countries - the United States, Canada and Mexico - it promises to be the biggest spectacle in the competition’s near-100-year history.