The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is poised to be the largest in history, with an expanded 48-team field, 16 stadiums, and a record 104 matches over 39 days. This marks the first tournament since FIFA expanded from 32 to 48 teams, introducing four additional groups and a new round of 32 in the knockout phase.
The expansion departs from the 32-team, 64-game format of the last seven editions since 1998. It is also only the second World Cup played across multiple countries, following Japan and South Korea in 2002.
