The 2026 tournament is the first World Cup contested by 48 national teams, up from 32 at every edition since 1998. To accommodate the larger field FIFA introduced a new structure: twelve groups of four, an additional knockout round, and a 104-match schedule spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico over thirty-nine days.
Twelve groups of four
The 48 qualified teams are drawn into twelve groups labelled A through L. Each team plays the other three sides in its group once, for a total of 72 group-stage matches between 11 June and 27 June 2026. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, with goal difference and goals scored used as tiebreakers in the standard order.
The top two finishers from every group advance automatically. That alone produces 24 qualifiers. The remaining eight knockout berths go to the best third-placed teams across all twelve groups, ranked by points, goal difference, goals scored and disciplinary record. Browse the full group standings or pick a side to follow at the teams index.
A new Round of 32
The 32 group-stage survivors enter a single-elimination bracket. The expanded format adds one extra knockout round compared with the 32-team World Cup: the Round of 32 replaces the old Round of 16 as the opening knockout phase. Sixteen matches are played between 28 June and 3 July, with the bracket reseeded so that group winners face third-placed qualifiers and runners-up draw each other in the early rounds.
From the Round of 16 onward the format mirrors previous tournaments: a quarter-final, a semi-final, a third-place play-off on 18 July, and the Final the following day. See every fixture as it resolves on the knockouts page.
From group stage to the Final
The opening match kicks off on 11 June 2026 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The group stage closes on 27 June and the Round of 32 starts the next day. The semi-finals are scheduled for 14 and 15 July, with the third-place play-off in Miami on 18 July and the 19 July 2026 Final held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A team that reaches the Final will play eight matches in total, one more than the seven required to win the trophy under the previous 32-team format.