The upcoming FIFA World Cup is set to be the largest edition in tournament history, featuring 48 teams competing over 39 days. The event will be hosted by three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—and will use 16 stadiums to stage a total of 104 matches. This edition follows FIFA’s expansion of the tournament field from 32 teams to 48. The format adds four additional groups in the opening stage and introduces a new round of 32 in the knockout stage. The last time the World Cup expanded was in 1998, when the tournament departed from the earlier structure that had been used for the previous seven editions, which featured 32 teams and 64 matches. In addition to being the first World Cup held across three host countries, the tournament is also only the second time the World Cup is staged in multiple countries, following the 2002 edition shared by Japan and South Korea. Sources summarize these changes as the basis for the increased match count and overall scale of the competition.
World Cup set for record 48 teams, 104 matches across three host countries
The upcoming FIFA World Cup is set to be the largest edition in tournament history, featuring 48 teams competing over 39 days. The event will be hosted by three countries—the United States, Canada, an...
- The World Cup features 48 teams, the largest field in its history.
- The tournament runs for 39 days and totals 104 matches across 16 stadiums.
- Matches are hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- FIFA expands the format from 32 teams to 48, adding four groups and a new round of 32.
- This is the first World Cup across three countries and only the second multi-country World Cup after 2002 (Japan and South Korea).
The World Cup last expanded for the 1998 tournament with the last seven editions featuring 32 teams and 64 games. This also marks just the second time that the tournament will be played in multiple countries with Japan and South Korea sharing the 2002 edition
2 months agoThis year’s edition of the World Cup will be the biggest ever with an expanded field of 48 teams, three host countries and 16 stadiums staging the record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament. The tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico is the first since FIFA expanded the field from 32 teams to 48, adding four more groups in the initial stage and a new round of 32 in the knockout portion. The World Cup last expanded for the 1998 tournament with the last seven editions featuring 32 teams and 64 games. This also marks just […]...Keep on reading: World Cup by the numbers: 104 matches, 48 teams and 3 countries
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