Three hosts, 48 teams and 104 games: How the 2026 FIFA ...
Next year's World Cup will be the biggest one yet.
www.dazn.comThe 2026 FIFA World Cup features 48 teams.
Context and quick breakdown:
- The expansion from 32 to 48 teams was announced by FIFA and implemented for the 2026 edition, making it the largest World Cup to date.[5][7]
- The tournament will take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with a revised group stage format that returns to four-team groups, followed by a knockout stage that includes the top 2 from each group plus the best third-placed teams.[3][5]
- This 48-team format guarantees more nations participate than in past editions and aligns with FIFA's goals of broader global representation while maintaining a robust number of matches (104) for the tournament.[1][5]
If you'd like, I can pull the latest official FIFA statements or recent qualification updates to confirm which confederations have secured slots and which nations are still in contention.