A highly anticipated soccer event is about to kick off - the final week of the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The event is set to see a major change, with the number of teams expanding from the original 32 to 48. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was the first to reveal that the tournament will be divided into a total of 12 groups based on the rule of four teams per group. The top two teams from each group and the eight third-placed teams from the top-performing groups will advance to the knockout round of 32.
Initially, FIFA planned to divide the teams into 16 groups of 3 teams each, with 2 qualifying spots. However, in view of the fierce competition and exciting matches in the group stage of the last World Cup, FIFA finally decided to retain the configuration of 4 teams per group.
The tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a whopping 104 total games to be played in 16 cities as the field grows to 48 teams.
In terms of fixed places for each continent, there will be 8 teams from Asia, 9 teams from Africa, 6 teams from North and Central America (including the 3 host countries), 6 teams from South America, 1 team from Oceania and 16 teams from Europe. In addition, two places will be created through play-offs.
