As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws near, the quadrennial tournament is already being called “a World Cup like no other” — distinguished by a record number of matches, unprecedented geographical spread across host nations, and sky-high ticket prices. In football-mad Kerala, India, hoardings, cut-outs, and flags for favored teams have blanketed towns and villages. Meanwhile, Scotland’s 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon revealed he was warned of a risk of death and paralysis during his preparations for the tournament, adding a note of human drama to the buildup [33, 34, 31].
World Cup Fever Builds as FIFA 2026 Approaches
