World Cup 2026: The new 48-team mode explained
12 groups, a round of 16 and new rules: here is the schedule for the tournament in North America.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup radically breaks with tradition and expands to 48 participants, which fundamentally changes the tournament layout. Forget the old 32 structure; we have 12 groups and an additional knockout round that changes the game. The tournament starts with a group phase made up of 12 groups of four teams.
The best two teams in each group qualify directly for the knockout phase. This is a break with the past, as only 16 teams have made it to the round of 16 so far. What's new is the "Round of 32", which acts as the first knockout round.
In addition to the 24 group winners and runners-up, the eight best third-place teams also advance to this round. This increases the probability of progressing and massively changes the tactical calculation in the final group games. The rule that a draw in the group stage is often enough to reach the Round of 32 forces teams to make a new risk calculation: a win is no longer always the best way, but sometimes a targeted draw to secure points while preserving the goal difference.
