The 2026 World Cup is expected to have 48 participating countries, divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The decision is set to be given the green light today at a FIFA conference in Rwanda.

The governing body is also set to agree on the division of matches at the next edition of the World Cup. For the first time in its history, three countries will be hosting the tournament together in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The split of games is 60 for the USA while Mexico and Canada at 10 each. However, this hasn’t been finalised yet.

2026 World Cup to have 48 participating countries

FIFA approves World Cup format for 2026:

▪️ 104 games
▪️ 48 teams
▪️ 12 groups of 4, 3 games played
▪️ 8 maximum games (up from 7)
▪️ Top 2 teams in each group plus 8 best 3rd-placed sides advance pic.twitter.com/2uHLLOC7Eo
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 14, 2023

Originally, the plan was to have 16 groups of three. However, it was quickly calculated that two teams could agree on a mutually beneficial result on the final day, as has been seen in the past. For this reason, the format is set to be a four-country group.

Matches will take place for 39 days, and will involve significantly more matches. Hence, the 2026 World Cup will also be its longest edition yet.

The eight best third-placed teams in the groups will make it to the knockout stages of the World Cup alongside the top two. The preparation time for the tournament is expected to be around 23 days, which will be twice as long as players were given for the Qatar edition.