The originally enlarged 2026 FIFA World Cup saw a further expansion on Tuesday.
And the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) approved a new amendment to the championship that will be held in North America, six years after passing the first amendment, to increase the number of group stage matches in the World Cup, which includes 48 teams for the first time.
The 16 host cities, 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico and 2 in Canada, have 24 more matches than the 80 already scheduled for the 2026 World Cup.
Adding about 1.5 million tickets to the planned expanded World Cup would increase FIFA’s record revenue, which is expected to be no less than $11 billion until 2026.
FIFA said the decision came after a “comprehensive review that looked at sporting integrity, player welfare, national team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as the national and fan experience”.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s latest bid to play more matches and wider competitions in an already crowded schedule is likely to raise further anxiety among stakeholders, particularly domestic leagues and FIFPro, who have long felt isolated from talks about the future of football. .
The 2026 World Cup, which lasts 6 weeks, begins one year after the Club World Cup in the new version consisting of 32 teams, which can also be organized in North America to test the logistics of the World Cup.
The UEFA Champions League also has a new format with more teams and matches in the 2024-25 season.
The new format of the World Cup includes 12 groups, each with four teams, instead of the 16 groups that include 3 teams, which was the plan that was chosen in 2017.
Both options would have included reaching the 32-team knockout round.
The final match of the World Cup is scheduled to be held on July 19, 2026.
The new format of the World Cup guarantees the qualification of the first place in the group and the runner-up, in addition to the best 8 teams occupying third place, to the knockout stage.
The total number of matches in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar reached 64, in the seventh and final edition of the 32-team format.
The 1998 World Cup in France was the first to include 32 teams.
