Good morning. The World Cup starts in less than one week, so today we have a primer to get you ready. More on that below, along with the price of protein and the non-white wedding dress. But first:

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Hi, my name is Neil Davidson and I’m a sportswriter at The Globe. While I have written about everything from darts and mixed martial arts to rugby and surfing, soccer has always been close to my heart.

Growing up in England in southwest London, Chelsea and Fulham games were always close by. In Canada, I watched BMO Field grow from a hole in the ground and have written about Toronto FC since its 2007 home debut.

This summer, I am lucky enough to cover a home FIFA World Cup. It’s my fourth time attending the men’s World Cup (not to mention three Women’s World Cups, which happen in intervening years).

So join me in preparing for this summer’s smorgasbord of soccer, whether you are fortunate enough to be watching in the stands, with friends at your local, or on your couch.

Tournament skinny

Running June 11 to July 19, this year’s World Cup is bigger than ever with 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 venues in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Four years ago in Qatar, it was 32 teams and 64 matches in eight stadiums, all in and around the capital of Doha.

Canada and Mexico are each hosting 13 matches (with six in Toronto and seven in Vancouver). The other 78 are in the U.S.

The teams have been drawn in 12 groups of four, labelled A to L, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-place teams advancing to the knockout rounds of 32 and 16, and then on to quarter-finals, semi-finals, the match for third place, and the final. Here’s what to know about the World Cup groups, A to L.

Canada, currently ranked 30th in the world, hosts No. 64 Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto before heading to Vancouver to complete Group B play against No. 55 Qatar on June 18 and No. 19 Switzerland on June 24.

Here are some key matches to watch during the group stage, and the top international players to keep an eye on.

Why so big?

The men’s World Cup is FIFA’s cash cow, laying the financial foundation for four years until the next tournament.

In its revised 2023-26 budget, FIFA forecast record revenue of US$13-billion, largely due to the expanded men’s tournament (the Women’s World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup have also grown in size). The revised revenue represents an increase of 72 per cent over the previous budget cycle.

FIFA says it will reinvest more than 90 per cent of “its budgeted investments back in the game to significantly boost global football development.”

The World Cup winner will collect US$50-million. The minimum prize money, for sides failing to survive the opening group stage, is US$10-million,with every team collecting an additional US$2.5 million to cover preparation costs.

Spectators are helping fill FIFA’s coffers, and just getting tickets was a challenge via a series of lotteries. Tickets for Canada’s opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina ranged in price from $495 to $2,440 when they went on sale in October.

Who to watch

Spain and France are the betting favourites, followed by England, Brazil and defending champion Argentina. British bookmaker Ladbrokes had Canada at a distant 250/1 to lift the trophy.

The Canadian men have a different target. They hope to top their group, posting a first-ever win at the tournament en route, and keep going. Goals would also be nice. Canada has just two to its credit in World Cup games. Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first-ever goal at the men’s tournament in a 4-1 loss to Croatia four years ago. In addition to Davies, here are a few players from home to watch.

If you’re looking for an underdog, No. 50 Uzbekistan, No. 63 Jordan, No. 68 Cape