How many teams in the 2026 world cup
Mexico City’s Azteca stadium will host the opening match on June 11, 2026, when Mexico becomes the first country to host the World Cup for a third time, with the final kicking off on July 19 at New York’s Metropolitan Stadium in the United States, Reuters said.
The expansion of the 2026 World Cup participation from 32 to 48 teams means that 24 games will be added to the original tournament size, AFP said. Sixteen cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico will host 104 matches. Of these, 11 cities in the U.S. (Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston) will host 52 group matches and 26 knockout matches, two cities in Canada (Vancouver, Toronto) undertake 10 group matches and three knockout matches, and three stadiums in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara) will play 10 group games and 3 knockout matches.
The BBC says the 2026 World Cup schedule will run for a record 39 days. As the host of the two World Cups in 1970 and 1986, Mexico’s Azteca Stadium has a capacity of 83,000 people, and the stadium has also witnessed history, Argentine striker Diego Maradona in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup staged the “hand of God”, which ultimately helped the team to beat England 2:1.
The United States had hosted the World Cup in 1994, the final site of the New York Metropolitan Stadium is the American Football League (NFL) New York Giants and the New York Jets share the home stadium, the stadium can accommodate 82,000 fans, was one of the stadiums of the 1994 World Cup, but also hosted the final of the 2016 “Hundred Years of America Cup”.
Canada is hosting the World Cup for the first time, with their first match taking place on June 12 in Toronto. Starting with the quarterfinals, the U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup schedule will be played in the U.S., with quarterfinal matches in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston, and two semifinal matches in Dallas and Atlanta. Of those, Dallas will host a record nine matches during the World Cup.
Teams that make it to the quarterfinals could face a long trip. the shortest distance between the quarterfinal and semifinal venues is from Kansas City to Dallas, more than 800 kilometers. The longest is from Los Angeles to Atlanta, a distance of nearly 3,600 kilometers. FIFA said the schedule plan was developed in consultation with stakeholders, including national team coaches and technical directors.
Forty-five of the 48 teams will need to qualify through the play-offs, with the remaining three spots going to the three host nations. A total of 104 matches are expected to be played throughout the World Cup, which is expected to last at least 35 days. Under the new system, there will be eight places for Asia, nine for Africa, six for North and Central America and the Caribbean, 16 for Europe, six for South America and one for Oceania. The host continues to qualify automatically, but will take up one direct qualification spot for that continent.
Under the new system, there will be eight places for Asia, nine for Africa, six for North and Central America and the Caribbean, 16 for Europe, six for South America and one for Oceania. The host continues to qualify automatically, but will take up one direct qualification spot for that continent.
The World Cup places for each continent are as follows:
Asia: 8 (+4 places)
Africa: 9 (+4 places)
North and Central America and the Caribbean: 6 (+3 places)
Europe: 16 (+3 places)
South America: 6 (+2 places)
Oceania: 1 (+1 place)
Predicted 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups for the group stage, each group of three teams, the first two teams with better results can be among the top 32, the actual method of promotion still need to wait for FIFA to discuss and then specifically announced.
According to foreign media reports, FIFA may reconsider the tournament system, chairman Infantino said that the 2022 World Cup along the form of 4 teams 1 group game, a great success. He said: “The 2022 World Cup continues to play in the form of 4 teams divided into 1 group, very good, not until the last minute of the last game, you do not know which team can advance. We will revisit and reconsider the format for the next tournament, something that FIFA needs to discuss at its next meeting.” He also praised Qatar for hosting the World Cup in spite of the epidemic, and the tournament was so exciting that it attracted 3.27 million fans, and continued, “I would like to thank everyone who had a part in making the World Cup go smoothly in Qatar, and all the volunteers and people who made this the best World Cup ever. There were no accidents, the atmosphere was great, and soccer has become a global event. This year was the first time that an African team (Morocco) was able to make it to the quarterfinals, and the first time that a female referee was able to enforce the law at the World Cup, so it was a huge success.”