The 2026 World Cup, being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format used in every edition from 1998 to 2022.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Under the current format, the 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two sides from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the newly introduced round of 32, beginning the knockout phase. A total of 104 matches are scheduled across the tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the expanded format already in operation, Infantino confirmed that FIFA will consider whether the competition should grow further when the World Cup celebrates its centenary in 2030.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,\u201d Infantino said in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, as quoted by The Athletic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEvery nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it\u2019s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don\u2019t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they\u2019ll lack the incentive to keep improving,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 56-year-old also gave a strong endorsement to the move from 32 to 48 teams, describing the expanded tournament as \u201c100 per cent a success\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEvery nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it\u2019s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don\u2019t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they\u2019ll lack the incentive to keep improving,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 2030 World Cup is already set to be unique in the tournament\u2019s history, with matches taking place across six countries and three continents. Uruguay, which hosted the inaugural World Cup in 1930, will stage a centenary celebration match, while Argentina and Paraguay will also host one match each. The rest of the competition will be held across Morocco, Portugal and Spain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n