FIFA confirms expanded 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches with 12 groups

FIFA World Cup 2026 will host a record 104 matches as 48 teams will compete for the coveted trophy across 12 groups, FIFA announced on Tuesday. The 2026 World Cup will be played across three countries as the USA, Canada and Mexico will host the top football action in three years' time. The decision to have 12 groups of four teams each was taken during a meeting of the FIFA Council ahead of the official FIFA Congress.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will have 48 teams for the first time. There was a plan earlier to have 16 groups of three each but that was put down in the meeting as 12 groups of four were approved as a better alternative. "The FIFA Council also unanimously made the decision to approve the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four," the Football body said in a statement.

Also, the body shed light on the format. "The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams from the groups will now progress to the round of 32. Hopefuls will now have to play eight games from the group stage through to the final, rather than seven," it added.

The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest

Notably, this will be the first edition of the football world cup that will have 48 teams taking part. 32 teams used to take part in the competition since 1998 and had 64 matches in total. The 2026 World Cup will have an increase of 40 matches. The tournament will be played in three nations for the first time ever. Now the teams will have to play 8 matches instead of 7. The final will be played on July 19

The decision was taken after a thorough review of 'sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel,  commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience.'

"A mandatory release date for when clubs must allow players to travel to their national sides has been also been set as Monday 25 May (exceptions may apply for clubs participating in confederation club competitions), meaning the 56 rest, release and tournament days are identical to those of 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups," the statement further added.