2026 FIFA World Cup Format Explained

The FIFA World Cup adopts a new look for 2026 as a record 48 nations compete in the tournament this summer.

Expanding from 32 teams, the increase in participating nations means there will be 40 more matches played at the World Cup, which is set to take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With a further 16 nations to accommodate, FIFA has revised the previous format for the World Cup, and we've taken a look at the changes made to the global showpiece by football's governing body.

FIFA World Cup Format

Qualifying

UEFA were awarded the most qualification slots with 16, accounting for a third of the total teams at the tournament. CAF were granted the second most with nine and one play-off tournament spot, ahead of the AFC who had eight guaranteed World Cup tickets and one play-off tournament berth.

With the United States, Canada and Mexico automatically qualifying as host nations, CONCACAF had a further three direct slots and two more opportunities via the play-off tournament.

CONMEBOL nations also battled over six automatic qualification slots, while the team that finished seventh in the standings would contest the interconfederation play-offs.

The OFC were given a guaranteed berth for the first time, making it the first World Cup since 2010 in which all confederations are represented in the tournament.

Which nations have qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

UEFA

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• England
• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Scotland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey

CONMEBOL

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• Uruguay

AFC

• Australia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Japan
• Jordan (debut)
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Uzbekistan (debut)

CAF

• Algeria
• Cape Verde (debut)
• DR Congo
• Egypt
• Ghana
• Ivory Coast
• Morocco
• Senegal
• South Africa
• Tunisia

CONCACAF

• Canada (co-host)
• Curaçao (debut)
• Haiti
• Mexico (co-host)
• Panama
• United States (co-host)

Group Stage

With 16 more nations, all of the teams were divided and drawn into 12 groups of four. Teams in each group will play one another in a round-robin format, from which the top two teams will advance to the knockout stage.

Teams that finish third in their respective group still have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages as eight of the best third-place nations will advance to the Round of 32.

FIFA had initially considered 16 groups of three teams, but opted for 12 groups of four based on a thorough review.

The new format means the team that triumphs in the final on 19th July will have played eight games to be crowned champions following the inclusion of an additional Round of 32 stage.

Group A

• Mexico
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Czech Republic

Group B

• Canada
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Qatar
• Switzerland

Group C

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D

• United States
• Paraguay
• Australia
• Turkey

Group E

• Germany
• Curacao
• Ivory Coast
• Ecuador

Group F

• Netherlands
• Japan
• Sweden
• Tunisia

Group G

• Belgium
• Egypt
• Iran
• New Zealand

Group H

• Spain
• Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I

• France
• Senegal
• Iraq
• Norway

Group J

• Argentina
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K

• Portugal
• DR Congo
• Uzbekistan
• Colombia

Group L

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

Schedule

Round of 32

• Runner-up Group A v Runner-up Group B - 28th June (Match 73)
• Winner Group C v Runner-up Group F - 29th June (Match 76)
• Winner Group E v 3rd Group A/B/C/D/F - 29th June (Match 74)
• Winner Group F v Runner-up Group C - 29th June (Match 75)
• Runner-up Group E v Runner-up Group I - 30th June (Match 78)
• Winner Group I v 3rd Group C/D/F/G/H - 30th June (Match 77)
• Winner Group A v 3rd Group C/E/F/H/I - 30th June (Match 79)
• Winner Group L v 3rd Group E/H/I/J/K - 1st July (Match 80)
• Winner Group G v 3rd Group A/E/H/I/J - 1st July (Match 82)
• Winner Group D v 3rd Group B/E/F/I/J - 1st July (Match 81)
• Winner Group H v Runner-up Group J - 2nd July (Match 84)
• Runner-up Group K v Runner-up Group L - 2nd July (Match 83)
• Winner Group B v 3rd Group E/F/G/I/J - 2nd July (Match 85)
• Runner-up Group D v Runner-up Group G - 3rd July (Match 88)
• Winner Group J v Runner-up Group H - 3rd July (Match 86)
• Winner Group K v 3rd Group D/E/I/J/L - 3rd July (Match 87)

Round of 16

• Winner Match 73 v Winner Match 75 - 4th July
• Winner Match 75 v Winner Match 77 - 4th July
• Winner Match 76 v Winner Match 78 - 5th July
• Winner Match 79 v Winner Match 80 - 5th July
• Winner Match 83 v Winner Match 84 - 6th July
• Winner Match 81 v Winner Match 82 - 6th July
• Winner Match 86 v Winner Match 88 - 7th July
• Winner Match 85 v Winner Match 87 - 7th July

Quarter-finals

• Quarter-final 1 - 9th July
• Quarter-final 2 - 10th July
• Quarter-final 3 - 11th July
• Quarter-final 4 - 11th July

Semi-finals

• Semi-final 1 - 14th July
• Semi-final 2 - 15th July

Match for third place

• Third-place play-off - 18th July

Final

• Final - 19th July