All the details about the new World Cup format for 2026

The approval of the enlargement in the participation of the Glass of the World, of 32 to 48 selections, eventualmente would suppose a series of significant changes in the format of the competition. Initially, the proposal for the first phase consisted in dividing to the combined national in 16 groups of three selections each one. Nevertheless, this was abandoned to give place to a phase of 12 liguillas with four teams each one.

This format will have the approval of the Council of the FIFA in Kigali, Rwanda, putting end like this to the doubts on how will contest this first edition with 48 selections in the tournament that will house Canada, Mexico and United States. Of this way, the event will become more extensive: of 64 to 104 parties, that to his time will contest along 39 days.

The reason to preserve the liguilla to four teams

With a phase of groups of 16 liguillas of three selections each one, the total of meetings would have been of 80. But, in addition to the fact to have a more extensive tournament, the expectancy woken up by the last day of the first round would have convinced to the FIFA to preserve this modality, especially after the lived in the past edition of the tournament,

Regarding the logistics of the tournament, costs to remember that the greater quantity of parties will be housed by United States. In such sense, the body rector of the football in the planet would be studying establish zones to divide the groups between the coasts this and west of the American union. Of this way, the selections would cross already in the final instances of the competition.

It goes back the classification of the best third?

This meeting of the Council of the FIFA has been only to define how will contest the first phase of the tournament. It subtracts for knowing how will develop the stage of 'nocaut'. It is very possible that keep the previous proposal, in which the qualifiers of each group advanced to a round of 32 or dieciseisavos of final. Now, with a first phase of 12 groups (a multiple of three) is very possible that go back the figure of the best third to complete the 'fixture' with the eight selections faltantes.