The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first with 48 countries, will be longer than previous ones. But it will keep its group formula with 4 teams, announces Fifa.
By the editorial staff
Published update
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What will it look like the 2026 FIFA World Cup ? The New York Times provided some answers on Tuesday, some of which were confirmed by the international federation (Fifa) in the process. The next World Cup, scheduled for the summer of 2026 and organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be the first to compete with 48 teams, against 32 since the 1998 edition.
The New York Times reveals that Fifa plans to extend the duration of the World Cup which, until now, never took place for more than a month. In 2026, it should be spread over 40 days, i.e. 11 days more than the 2022 edition. Who says more teams means more matches: the next World Cup will give rise to 104 matches, i.e. 40 more than during the recent tournaments.
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Avoid early eliminations
Without confirming the duration of the competition, Fifa, through a press release, specifies that 56 days will pass between Monday May 25, the day after the last day of club matches, and Sunday July 19, the date of the World Cup final.
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One of the major issues of this new format concerns the group stage. At the end of 2016, the year of his election as head of Fifa, Infantino submitted the idea of 16 groups each comprising 3 teams. In the end, nothing will change: each group (12 instead of 8 previously) will consist of 4 teams.
Round of 16 in the World Cup
Fifa justified the choice to stay with groups of 4 teams. This format “ensures that all teams play a minimum of 3 matches, while providing a balanced rest time between the different opponents“. The formula was “unanimously approvedby the board of directors of Fifa, said the body.
For the rest of the tournament, the World Cup will therefore offer round of 16, where we went directly to the round of 16 after the group stage. The first two teams of each group will qualify, as was already the case, as well as the 8 best third. A system already proven at the Euro since 2016.
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