FIFA announce World Cup 2026 will have four-team groups and 24 more games than previous editions
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Updated 14/03/2023 at 17:33 GMT
FIFA have announced that the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico will have four-team groups and 24 more games than in previous editions. The decision comes after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw late drama in the group stages. The heads of football's six confederations unanimously supported the proposed format during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Collina defends FIFA push for more added time
FIFA leaders have agreed to a change in format that will add 24 more games than originally planned to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The governing body's council announced on Tuesday that they have approved a new format for the World Cup, which will feature 48 teams instead of the original 32.
This change will add 24 more games to the tournament, making it a 104-game tournament that will last nearly 40 days.
Initially, FIFA had planned to split the teams into 16 groups of three for the first tournament with 48 teams. However, a change of heart reportedly came after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which saw several exciting finishes in the final matches of the group stages. Officials were concerned about teams possibly being eliminated after only two games in the three-team group format, so FIFA opted to revisit the issue.
As a result, the four-team group format will stand, with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to the last 32.
The heads of football's six confederations unanimously supported the proposed format for the World Cup during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with no objections raised. The decision was then confirmed at Tuesday's meeting of FIFA's 36-member governing council, which is known for approving proposals agreed upon by regional heads.
"Based on a thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to a round of 32," said FIFA on the decision.
"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."
Under the new format, the champion and runner-up, as well as the third and fourth-place teams, will each play eight games, one more than the current seven.
The expansion is also expected to generate additional revenue for FIFA.
FIFA also approved plans to expand the Club World Cup in 2025. The current tournament sees seven teams, one from each continent's governing body and one from the host nation, compete for the trophy.
From 2025 onwards, 32 teams will be entered into the competition. The Champions League winners, Champions League runners-up, Europa League winners, and Copa Libertadores winners from the four seasons up to and including the year of the event could all be handed entry as well.
As winners of the last two Champions Leagues, Chelsea and Real Madrid have already qualified for the 2025 tournament.
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