By OkayGoal 
With 100 days remaining until kick-off, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has delivered an emphatic message about unity, scale and historic significance ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Speaking from Zurich, the FIFA boss underlined why the 2026 tournament – to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico – will redefine global football.
“Well, 100 days to go until the kick-off of the greatest FIFA World Cup ever. Three host countries, 16 host cities, 48 participating teams, national teams, 104 matches in a little bit more than one month – 39 days to be precise. This is history.”
Infantino emphasized the tournament’s staggering global reach.
“We’ll have seven million people in the stadiums, and we’ll have many more millions coming. Billions – six billion people watching from home.”
He added that while the numbers are impressive, the emotional impact of the tournament is even more significant.
“We’ll have debutants, we’ll have the usual world champions who will play. But most importantly, we will have the world coming together. And this is probably the most important fact in this particular period of time.”
Unprecedented Global Demand
Infantino also revealed the extraordinary appetite for tickets and broadcast coverage.
“The global interest in this World Cup is absolutely unique. We’ve never experienced anything even remotely close to that.”
According to the FIFA President, ticket requests have surpassed 500 million – despite only six to seven million tickets being available.
“We had ticket demands for over 500 million tickets. But to all the fans, don’t worry – we still have and will still keep some tickets for the last sales phase which will start in April, a kind of last-minute sales phase.”
Broadcast interest has also broken records.
“The demand on the broadcasting side is extraordinary. We’ll have the whole world literally standing still and watching it.”
A Moment of Global Unity
Infantino returned repeatedly to the theme of unity, stressing football’s power to connect nations.
“We need events, we need occasions to unite the world. And this FIFA World Cup will truly unite the entire world around an emotion, around a passion – around football.”
He noted that even in countries that do not qualify, supporters will adopt teams and join the celebration.
“In every country in the world – the participating 48 countries and all the others – where people will choose one of the participating teams to cheer for, they will celebrate this magic moment of football and of the world coming together.”
Playoffs to complete historic 48-team Line-up
The final qualification spots will be decided later this month through European and intercontinental playoffs.
“Six more teams to qualify, six more countries that will celebrate being part of the World Cup. It’s a very, very important moment in the history of this World Cup.”
With intercontinental playoff matches scheduled in Mexican cities and European playoffs set across the continent, Infantino says anticipation will only intensify once the full line-up is confirmed.
“As of next month, we will know all 48 teams – and we can really start getting seriously excited about the World Cup.”
With 104 matches across 39 days and billions expected to tune in, the countdown has officially entered its final stretch – and by Infantino’s own words, football is preparing for a truly historic global celebration.
Below is the video:
https://digitalhub.fifa.com/share/0497B222-A1C7-4F24-9BDFF9FA9ABE5199/