FIFA have announced significant changes to the format of the 2026 World Cup.
The next edition of the tournament is set to be the first-ever to be jointly-hosted by three different countries, namely the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
During a meeting held in Kigali in Rwanda on Tuesday, the FIFA Council confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of 64, as the competition has now been officially expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
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"Based on a thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to a round of 32," read a statement on FIFA.com.
"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 showpiece will now take place across 39 days, an extra week compared to the previous edition's schedule, while matches will be staged in 16 host cities, with 11 in the US, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
The expansion is expected to add about 1.5 million more tickets and boost FIFA's expected record revenue, which is estimated to be at least $11 billion (R200 billion), per Al Jazeera.
All three host nations have already been guaranteed a spot in the group stages and the final of event will take place on on Sunday, 19 July 2026.
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