World Cup 2026: four-team groups and 104 game-tournament confirmed by Fifa
The 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico will feature a record 104 games, including a new last-32 stage, after Fifa scrapped its controversial plans for three-team groups.
The extended 48-team tournament will run for 38 or 39 days – instead of 32 in Qatar – and consist of 12 groups of four, with the top two and the eight best third-placed sides progressing to the knockout stages. There will be 40 more matches than were played at Qatar 2022, raising fresh concerns about player welfare.
Fifa said its decision to ditch the three-group format had come after a “thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience”.
However, as the Guardian reported in November, it also faced extensive pressure behind the scenes from those who pointed out that the three-group format had severe flaws. The biggest included the possibility of unofficial deals being struck in the last match if, say, both teams needed a high-scoring draw to go through on goal difference, which would have raised questions about the tournament.
Fifa acknowledged this, saying: “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.”
The other big announcement on Tuesday concerned the rejigging of the international calendar. From 2026, there will be a 16-day, four-match international window in September and early October, as well as nine-day, twomatch windows in March, June and November.
The expanded tournament and revised calendar are expected to anger European clubs and leagues, who claim they have not been consulted. . In December, the World Leagues Forum, the world association of professional football leagues, criticised Fifa for its proposed calendar changes and accused it of “acting unilaterally without consulting, let alone agreeing, with those who are directly affected by them: the leagues, their member clubs, the players and fans”.