How the FIFA World Cup 26™ will work with 48 teams
The biggest-ever World Cup will be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States and will feature a brand-new format involving 16 more nations.
48 teams will compete in the World Cup for the very first time
The tournament will feature 12 groups of four teams
Canada, Mexico and USA have already qualified as hosts
More games, more excitement and more teams. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will have a new format, featuring 48 teams (16 more than Qatar 2022™), 104 matches (40 more than the last edition), an additional knockout round and the need to win more matches to lift the World Cup.
The eagerly-anticipated tournament will take place across Canada, Mexico and the USA, beginning in June 2026, with the exact date to be confirmed, and ending with the World Cup final on 19 July 2026.
The tournament will be the first ever to feature 48 teams. For this reason, the 32-team, eight-group, format has been replaced by one with 12 groups of four. The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32.
Adopting 12 groups of four was chosen over the option of 16 groups of three teams, based on a thorough review that took into consideration a number of factors, including team and fan experience, player welfare and sporting integrity.
The new format means the team that triumphs in the final on 19 July will have played eight games to be crowned champions, one more than at Qatar 2022, after the inclusion of an additional round of 32 knockout phase.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will mark the tournament’s return to North America after 32 years, with USA 1994 the most recent edition.
The defending champions are Argentina courtesy of their thrilling victory over 2018 winners France in the final of Qatar 2022, after arguably the greatest World Cup final in history, with Lionel Scaloni’s men lifting the trophy after a dramatic penalty shoot-out, following a breath-taking 3-3 draw after extra-time.
The tournament will have 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the USA, with the following chosen in the final listing.
Canada: Vancouver and Toronto
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey
United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle
The mandatory release period for players will begin on 25 May 2026, after the last official club matches on 24 May (exemptions may apply to the final matches of confederation club competitions until 30 May 2026 subject to FIFA’s approval).
With 56 days, the total combined number of rest, release and tournament days remain identical to the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup™ editions.
The revised format, which was approved unanimously at a FIFA Council meeting ahead of the 2023 FIFA Congress in Rwanda, ensures fair play and that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams.
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