FIFA will confirm that the 2026 World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams - with 24 more games than initially anticipated.
The World Cup, to be held in Canada, Mexico and United States, will now see 104 games played at the finals in three years time. That's 40 more games than took place in Qatar in 2022. The tournament could last up to 40 days, as first reported by the New York Times, and represents the first major change in structure since 1998.
FIFA had considered using a format with 16 pools of three teams but the drama of last year’s group stage in Qatar forced them to revisit the issue. At one point there had even been considerations to have penalty shootouts for drawn group games.
