Turkmen streaming platform Belet will provide live coverage of all 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including the tournament’s opening ceremony. The service’s press service told Turkmenportal this.
“Belet will broadcast all 104 games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup live, including the opening ceremony,” the company said in a statement.
The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 at stadiums in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The tournament kicks off on Thursday with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Kickoff is at 23:55 Ashgabat time, with the opening ceremony at 23:00.
This year’s tournament will be the 23rd edition and, for the first time in the tournament’s history, will feature 48 national teams, divided into 12 groups of four teams. Jordan, Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan will be making their World Cup debuts.
The first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay. The hosts became the first world champions, defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final. Remarkably, only 13 teams participated in that tournament, and there was no qualifying stage at all.
Brazil has won the most World Cup titles – five (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). They remain the only team to have never missed the World Cup finals, having participated in all 22 previous tournaments.
The record holder for the number of goals scored at World Cups is German forward Miroslav Klose, with 16 goals scored at the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
The winner’s trophy—the World Cup, measuring 36.5 cm in height and weighing 6.1 kg—is crafted from 750-carat gold and designed by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga. The original trophy is permanently housed at FIFA headquarters in Zurich; the champion team receives only a gilded bronze replica.
