FIFA announced on Tuesday ahead of the tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, that the 2026 World Cup will feature 104 matches, as opposed to the traditional 64 with 48 teams, due to the expanded format of this edition.
Co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, his 2026 edition will be the first of a 48-team tournament held every four years. The final will take place on July 19, 2026.
The new format will remain four teams per group, even after the proposal of 16 groups of three was rejected over concerns of collusion in the final group match. However, the number of groups increases from 8 to 12. Original plans for the 2026 edition called for 80 games, but a decision to increase the number to 104 was approved by the FIFA Council on Tuesday.
Traditionally, the top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16, but in the 2026 edition, the top eight third-place finishers will also advance to the 32 knockout squad.
The FIFA Council has unanimously approved the proposed changes to the format of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA.
“The revised format ensures that all teams play at least three games while reducing the risk of collusion and ensuring balanced rest periods between competing teams.”
Last year’s Qatar World Cup saw 32 teams play a total of 64 matches over 29 days. The last time the World Cup was held in Mexico (1986) and USA (1994), there were only 24 teams. Since the 1998 edition, the tournament has featured 32 teams in eight groups of four, with finalists playing seven games each. A total of eight games will be played by the teams reaching the summit in 2026.
