The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first FIFA World Cup tournament that will feature 48 national senior men’s teams from FIFA member nations.


The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup and will be the first jointly hosted by three member associations. It will take place in North America – the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

A total of 80 matches will be played. Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each, while the United States will host the remaining 60 games, including all matches from the quarterfinal and beyond.

While Mexico will become the first county to host the tournament three times, Canada will be hosting it for the first time, and the USA will host it for the second time.

2022 World Cup semifinalist Morocco would have been the second African country to host the World Cup, but they lost their bid to the USA.

Football fans and pundits are looking forward to the first World Cup trophy that will be contested by a total of 48 teams from all the six confederations that are members of FIFA.

80 matches will be played, and the number of teams in each group will be reduced to three. Instead of eight groups, the three teams per group will spread to 16 groups.

It should be noted that former UEFA President Michel Platini initiated the idea of an expanded FIFA World Cup. Michel Platini namely put forward four formats of an expanded FIFA World Cup;

40 teams (eight groups of five teams) – 88 matches

40 teams (ten groups of four teams) – 76 matches

48 teams (opening 32-team playoff round) – 80 matches

48 teams (16 groups of three teams) – 80 matches

FIFA adopted the last option, and the slots were apportioned to each confederation as follows;

Africa – 9 (up from 5)
Asia – 8 (up from 4 or 5)
Europe – 16 (up from 13)
North, Central America, and the Caribbean – 6 (up from 3 or 4)
Oceania – 1 (from 0 or 1)
South America – 6 (up from 4 or 5)


Source: https://futballnews.com/the-48-team-2026-fifa-world-cup-tournament-all-you-need-to-know/