FIFA will change the pre-match ceremony at the 2026 World Cup.
In an official note, the governing body announced “a new and bold version of the entire procedure that takes place before kick-off”, designed, it said, to “strengthen the bond between players and fans, while elevating a moment already rich in meaning”.
The intention is to turn the stadium into something closer to a 360-degree stage. A space designed as much for spectacle as for arrival. Every supporter, regardless of seat location, is meant to receive a more immersive view, through large national flags, pitch-side installations, and visual elements positioned to draw attention back into the centre of the field.
Players will continue to walk out through the tunnel and gather under a ceremonial arch. A central banner will be laid across the centre circle, with national flags carried by hand and FIFA branding extended across the pitch surface.
The most visible change concerns the anthem ceremony. It will no longer involve only the starting XI. Substitutes will also be lined up alongside them. The federation describes this as a way of allowing “every individual involved in the match to experience that symbolic moment of pride and emotion”, not only those selected from the first minute.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino framed the redesign as part of a wider evolution of the tournament experience.
“We wanted to continue innovating the way the game is experienced,” he said. “Having all players and match officials facing each other in the centre of the pitch during the national anthems will create a moment of unity, pride and emotion that truly belongs to everyone involved in the teams and everyone in the stadium. The World Cup is about every player and every fan, and this new pre-match ceremony reflects that.”
After the anthems, the familiar sequence remains. Handshakes. Team photographs for the starting line-ups. Then the captains meet the referee team for the coin toss.
As the tournament progresses, FIFA says further elements will be added to the pre-match presentation: coloured smoke, and additional pyrotechnic effects layered into the build-up before kick-off.
The pitch remains the same size. The sequence around it does not.