CARSON, Calif. – The FIFA World Cup field is getting a makeover ahead of the 2026 tournament.
FIFA announced on Tuesday that they will be expanding the field from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 edition of the tournament. The FIFA Council has unanimously decided in favor of the move which will see the teams compete in 16 groups of three, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the 32-team knockout round.
The new format has been established in a way that there is no minimization of overall number of rest days and a maximum of seven matches for the teams that advance to the final. Due to the length remaining the same as the current format, club teams will not lose their players for any extended manner of time.
The United States has been one of the rumored locations to host the 2026 tournament.
