Tournament Stages — World Cup 2026
48 teams · 7 stages · 104 matches · Jun 11 – Jul 19, 2026
Group Stage
Jun 11 – 27, 2026
48 teams12 groups (A–L)4 teams per groupQualify: top 2 + 8 best 3rd-placed
World Cup 2026 — Expanded format
The World Cup 2026 is the first with 48 national teams, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The group stage has 12 groups of 4 teams. The top 2 from each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams (32 teams in total) advance to the Round of 32, the new first knockout round.
48
Teams
12
Groups
16
Venues
104
Total matches