The World Cup is growing.
For the first time since the 1998 tournament in France, the World Cup will in 2026 will be bigger than the previous edition. Co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States will welcome 48 teams to the quadrennial, a 50 percent increase over Qatar 2022.
The very fact that games will be staged in three countries is new, too — the North American triumvirate will be the first three-country co-hosts for a World Cup.
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More teams means more games, and FIFA says there will be 104 matches played at the 2026 competition. This is a massive increase not only from the 64 matches played in Qatar in 2022, but also from the 80 games originally confirmed for the upcoming tournament. The United States will get the lion's share of those games, although the exact split is still to be announced. Under the original format, the U.S. was set to host 60 matches on American soil while Canada and Mexico would each host 10 games, but those numbers will obviously increase following the announcement at the 73rd FIFA Congress.
With such a monumental shift in numbers, the 2026 World Cup will be very different from any of its predecessors.
Here's how it will work.
Three automatic qualifiers
All three co-hosts will receive automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
With a vastly expanded field, there was no reason to ask any of Canada, Mexico or the USA to go through the qualification process and risk missing out on the World Cup in their own backyard.
More teams from each confederation
This one is obvious. Every continent will receive more spots at the 2026 World Cup given the decision to add 16 more teams to the equation.
The break down, as confirmed by FIFA in 2017:
- AFC: 8
- CAF: 9
- CONCACAF: 6 +
- CONMEBOL: 6
- OFC: 1
- UEFA: 16
The six slots designated as "" will make up an intercontinental playoff for the final two berths at the 2026 World Cup. As hosts, CONCACAF received an extra slot.
More groups
FIFA originally wanted 16 groups of three teams each for this tournament, hence the 80 total matches in the original format.
But more sensible heads prevailed and the governing body confirmed that the four-team groups will return.
“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,” FIFA said.
16 venues
The number of host venues will double from Qatar 2022, with 16 venues set to host in 2026.
United States
11 venues
- MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford, N.J.
- AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas.
- Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Mo.
- NRG Stadium - Houston, Texas
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.
- SoFi Stadium - Inglewood, Calif.
- Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, Pa.
- Lumen Field - Seattle, Wash.
- Levi's Stadium - Santa Clara, Calif.
- Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.
- Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, Fla.
Mexico
3 venues
- Estadio Azteca - Mexico City
- Estadio BBVA - Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
- Estadio Akron - Guadalajara, Jalisco
Canada
2 venues
- BC Place - Vancouver, B.C.
- BMO Field - Toronto, Ont.