The wait is over. The world's biggest sporting spectacle begins Thursday as the 2026 World Cup gets underway across Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
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Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Leila Fadel is a national correspondent for NPR based in Los Angeles, covering race and identity. Starting in February 2022, she will be one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First.