The governing body of World football, FIFA, took key decisions regarding the FIFA World Cup 2026. The 2026 edition will see participation from 48 teams, which will be divided into 12 groups of 4 teams.
On Tuesday, FIFA announced Due to its expanded format, the 2026 World Cup edition will conduct 104 games instead of 64 games.
“The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches while providing balanced rest time between competing teams,” FIFA said.
FIFA also said a 32-team Club World Cup will be played every four years starting in June 2025, confirming the announcement made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Qatar last year.
“Based on a thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to a round of 32. The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams,” FIFA’s statement.