The council of the International Football Federation (FIFA) before the congress of the organization in Rwanda's Kigali approved the format for the 2026 World Cup with 12 groups of four teams each, FIFA announced on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2023) The council of the International Football Federation (FIFA) before the congress of the organization in Rwanda's Kigali approved the format for the 2026 World Cup with 12 groups of four teams each, FIFA announced on Tuesday.
Thus, the number of teams in the final tournament rises to 48 from 32 in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. In 2017, FIFA approved a format in which 48 participants would be divided into 16 groups of three teams each, but on Tuesday the organization's board decided to reduce the number of groups to decrease the risk of collusion between teams.
The teams that took the first and second places in the groups, as well as the eight best teams that became third, will advance to the Last 32 stage of the World Cup. Thus, the number of matches in the tournament will increase to 104 instead of 80, which could have been played in a format with 16 groups of three teams.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
