Due to the historic expansion of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has decided to increase the number of participating teams to 48, compared to 32 in previous editions, distributed across 12 groups of four teams each, in the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The top two teams from each group qualify directly to the round of 32, along with the best 8 third-placed teams, after which the knockout stage begins and continues until the final match to determine the world champion.

This new system comes as part of FIFA's effort to expand the global participation base and give a larger number of teams the opportunity to appear on the international stage, which contributes to increasing competitiveness and enriching the tournament with diverse matchups between different football schools.

The 2026 edition also sees a significant increase in the number of matches, rising from 64 to 104, making it the largest edition in World Cup history in terms of number of teams and matches, amid expectations that it will be one of the most exciting and thrilling tournaments ever.