48 Teams, 104 Games: How the 2026 World Cup Format Worked

The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams, up from 32. Here is how it worked.

Where and when. The tournament ran from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It opened at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and finished at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The group stage. The 48 teams were split into 12 groups of four, labeled A to L. Each team played the other three once, for 72 group games in total.

Who went through. The top two in each group advanced, along with the eight best third-placed teams. That made 32 teams in the knockout rounds.

The new Round of 32. Because of the larger field, there was an extra knockout round. From there it was the familiar path: Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, a third-place match and the final. Knockout games tied after 90 minutes went to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties.

The numbers. The new format meant 104 games, up from 64 at the 32-team tournaments. A team reaching the final played eight games instead of seven.

How it played out. The extra places gave smaller nations a real chance. Cape Verde reached the Round of 32 at their first World Cup with three draws, and Algeria, DR Congo and Ghana advanced as third-placed teams. And the race for the last third-place spots went down to the final night of the group stage.

ESO Soccer Desk

Archive coverage. First published on ESO Soccer on October 3, 2026. The archive date reflects the events covered.