The stage is set for the world’s biggest sporting event: the FIFA World Cup. Featuring the 48 best soccer nations in the world, the tournament will unfold over a six-week period as teams compete in matches in the three host countries—Mexico, Canada and the United States—for the sport’s most coveted trophy.

“I can’t wait for this year’s World Cup,” sophomore Manav Patel said. “As it only happens every four years, the excitement is always really high, which is what I remember about the 2022 tournament.”

The tournament officially kicks off with the first of 104 games on Thursday June 11, at 3 p.m. EST, with one of the host nations, Mexico, taking on South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The final, which in 2022 attracted over 1.5 billion concurrent viewers at its peak, will be held right here in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium. To the world, that means commuting to New Jersey, of all places, and to New Jerseyans, that means more traffic.

The format of the tournament is fairly simple. The 48 participating nations are divided into 12 groups of four teams, with each assigned seeds and placed into groups through a randomized draw.

During the tournament, each team plays the other three teams in a round-robin format, gaining points for wins, draws and goal differential. After all three games have been played, the top two teams from each group move on to the round of 32. The final teams in the round of 32 are decided by the eight best “third place” teams in the group.

For many high school students, the World Cup is more than just a sporting event—it is a source of lasting memories.  The 2022 tournament in Qatar was held in December rather than the traditional summer schedule because of the country’s extreme heat. As a result, many students watched matches during the school day.

“One of my favorite memories of middle school was when they would play the World Cup game during lunch,” junior Drew Milberg said. “I remember watching the Brazil-Croatia game in my Spanish class when my teacher asked me to put the game on the SMART Board.”

For many members of the Class of 2026, this World Cup will also mark the end of an era. This may be their last chance to watch their childhood heroes compete on the pitch. Many expect this World Cup to be the “last dance” for many soccer legends, including Leonel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Luka Modric and Guillermo Ochoa.

“As someone who has played and followed soccer from a young age, it’s incredible to think that this could be the final World Cup for players widely considered among the greatest of all time—Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar,” sophomore Ian Yorks said. “Seeing how quickly time has passed makes this tournament feel even more significant. With so much talent on display, this World Cup has the potential to be a historic one, and I can’t wait to watch it.”

Some nations favored to win the tournament include France, who has one of the strongest attacks in the world with Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ryan Cherki. Spain, the reigning European champion, has one of the best young stars in the tournament, Lamine Yamal.

Argentina, the defending world champion, has Lionel Messi, the greatest player in the world, and is returning the same team as four years ago. Portugal is another popular pick, combining a talented midfield with the experience of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who many believe has his best chance of bringing home the trophy in this tournament.

The final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, right here in New Jersey. All that remains to be seen is who will lift the trophy when all is said and done.