For millions of football fans around the world, the next month will look very different.
Sleep schedules will be sacrificed. Family gatherings will suddenly revolve around television screens. Productivity at offices will take a hit. Friendships will be tested by football rivalries. And for many, daily routines will be planned around one thing only: the FIFA World Cup.
The world's biggest sporting event gets underway on Thursday, June 11, with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa in the opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across North America.
But this World Cup feels different.
For the first time, FIFA will hold three separate opening ceremonies — one in each host nation. Mexico will launch the tournament on June 11 before Canada and the United States host their own opening celebrations a day later, symbolising a tournament spread across an entire continent rather than a single nation.
For supporters, however, the ceremonies are only the beginning.
What follows is a month-long festival of football that will dominate conversations from living rooms in Lahore and London to cafés in Buenos Aires and bars in Berlin. Fans will wake up early, stay up late and rearrange their lives to watch their countries chase sporting immortality.
The opening days of the tournament are packed with intriguing fixtures:
Opening Schedule
June 11
- Mexico vs South Africa (Mexico City)
- South Korea vs Czechia (Guadalajara)
June 12
- Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto)
- United States vs Paraguay (Los Angeles)
June 13
- Haiti vs Scotland (Boston)
Among the early heavyweight clashes later in the group stage are England against Croatia, France against Senegal, Argentina against Algeria, Portugal against Congo DR and Iran against Egypt.
The tournament will run until July 19, when the final takes place in New Jersey, where one nation will lift football's most coveted trophy.
Yet for many supporters, the World Cup has never been solely about trophies.
It is about gathering with friends at odd hours, celebrating unlikely heroes, arguing over refereeing decisions and believing, even if only for a few weeks, that this might finally be their country's year.
The stars will command most of the attention. Lionel Messi could be making one final World Cup appearance, while Cristiano Ronaldo may also be playing on football's biggest stage for the last time. New contenders, emerging talents and surprise underdogs will all have a chance to write their own stories over the coming weeks.
As the countdown enters its final hours, one thing is already certain.
Whether your team lifts the trophy or crashes out early, the next month will deliver the drama, heartbreak, joy and chaos that only a World Cup can provide.