FIFA confirms expanded format for 2026 World Cup featuring 48 teams and 104 games

FIFA is on the verge of announcing a new, larger format for the World Cup, which will include 104 games played over a period of 39 days. This expanded format for the 2026 tournament will add 40 extra matches to the schedule.

FIFA has been contemplating ways to include more teams and matches in the World Cup, and initially proposed a plan of 16 groups with three teams each. However, this idea received strong opposition at the previous tournament.

Why have FIFA agreed to enlarge the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams? 🌎🏆pic.twitter.com/ytWkwuBDxd
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 14, 2023

During the World Cup in Qatar, the final group matches created many unforgettable moments as different scenarios played out. However, with an expanded format, much of the excitement and unpredictability of these matches may be lost, resulting in more meaningless games and the potential for collusion among teams. According to Sky News, FIFA will announce a new format that maintains the current four-team group structure but adds a round of 32 to the tournament. This decision will be confirmed at the annual council meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

Why have FIFA agreed to enlarge the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams? 🌎🏆pic.twitter.com/ytWkwuBDxd
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 14, 2023

FIFA had previously announced that the World Cup in 2026 would include 48 teams, compared to 32 in the Qatar tournament. This change means that the 2026 competition will be the longest World Cup ever, lasting 39 days, which is almost a week longer than the Qatar tournament. However, FIFA believes that the overall “footprint” of the tournament will remain the same, as they plan to reduce the pre-tournament release period from 23 days to 16 days.

This period is when teams and players typically warm up and prepare for the tournament. It is worth noting that the teams had limited preparation time before the Qatar World Cup, with some players transitioning from their club teams to international teams in just a week due to the tight scheduling required for a winter tournament.