The 2026 Wolrd Cup has begun with 48 teams for the first time in its 96-year history, opening a tournament that is larger, longer and built around a new knockout path. The field has grown from 32 teams to 48, and the event will now run to 104 matches.
That change is why the Wolrd Cup is being searched now: the expanded format is already in motion, and the first games are being played under rules that did not exist at the previous finals. The FIFA Council approved the increase in 2023, but this is the moment it becomes real on the field.
The new structure adds 16 teams to the tournament and creates a round-of-32 stage to handle them. The 48 qualifying teams begin in 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-place teams advancing. Mexico is in Group A, Canada in Group B and the United States in Group D.
That setup marks the first change in World Cup field size and format since 1998, when the tournament expanded from 24 teams to 32. It also explains why the schedule is heavier: there are 40 more matches than before, and the final four teams will now need to play eight matches rather than seven to reach the title.
What remains unresolved is the full list of the 48 teams making up the bracket, a detail that matters because the new format only works once every place is filled. For now, the World Cup moves forward with a bigger field and a longer route to the final, and the next stage is already set: group play gives way to a round of 32, then the knockout rounds begin in earnest.
