Four explainers on the questions that come up every time. The format guide covers how twenty-four teams become one; the history guide covers who has won it and where; the qualification guide covers how the 2027 field was settled; the records guide collects the numbers that come out of eighteen previous editions.
What each one answers
The format guide is the one to read first if the maths of the group stage is unfamiliar. The arithmetic takes a minute to sit down with. Twenty-four teams in six groups of four produce sixteen qualifiers, which means ten teams go home after three games and four of the sixteen arrive there as third-placed sides. That last part is where most of the confusion sits, and it decides who plays whom in the round of 16.
The history guide is the reference for the questions that come up every four years: who has won the most, who has never won it, and how often the host country takes the trophy. Eighteen editions have been played since 1956 and nine different nations have won them, and only three of those nine have won it more than twice.
The qualification guide explains why some familiar names are missing and why four of this field were not at the 2023 finals. Qualifying ran in two stages, the second of which doubled as World Cup qualifying, and the route each team took is listed on its own page.
The records guide is the shortest of the four: longest gaps between titles, most appearances, and the finals that went to penalties. It is also the one to read if you want a number to quote.