2026 World Cup Format Approved; Includes 12 Groups for North American Tournament
Get ready for a 48-team World Cup in 2026.
On Tuesday, the FIFA Council formally approved expanding the men's World Cup beginning with the next tournament. The format will see the countries split into 12 groups of four with a total of 104 matches staged between the group stage and knockout rounds.
The step was widely expected to be an inevitability as soon as then-UEFA President Michel Platini floated the idea of a 40-team World Cup in 2013. By 2017, the FIFA Council signed off on the broad structure of an expansion to 48 teams.
It's not as if this will be the first time the World Cup field as grown. The event looks a lot different than it did generations ago. The first World Cup in 1930 had just 13 representatives, and the 32-team format only dates back to 1998.
As the quality of soccer improves around the world, opening the door for more countries outside of South America and Europeโtraditionally the two strongest continentsโmakes plenty of sense.
Still, plenty of critics will contend more isn't necessarily better when it comes to the World Cup.
FIFA is removing some of the drama that stems from seeing marquee teams either struggling to qualify for the tournament or advance out of the group.
Neither the Netherlands nor the United States made the cut in 2018, while four-time world champion Italy failed to punch its ticket for Qatar during the last cycle. Now, traditional heavyweights in their respective regions will have an even lower bar to clear.
Adding 16 more teams is likely to create more one-sided outcomes in the group stage and perhaps even in the round of 32 as well, because the gulf widens between the best and worst in the field.
Regardless of whether you like it or not, a 48-team World Cup is the new normal.
