FIFA confirms 12 groups for the next World Cup, with 4 teams each
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FIFA, football’s highest body, confirmed the new format of the World Cup that will be adopted from the next edition of 2026. The competition will have 12 groups with four teams each. The decision was announced this Tuesday (14th), at a meeting of the organization’s Board, in Kigali (Rwanda). The next World Cup will take place in three venues: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In the new format, the top two teams in each group, as well as the eight best third-place teams, will advance to the knockout stage. With the change, the teams that qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup will play eight games, one more than the traditional seven.
Initially, the entity had planned to divide the 48 teams into 16 groups with three teams each, and only the first two from each group would advance after the knockout stage. However, FIFA decided to revise the initial project. According to the entity, “the revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all teams play a minimum of three games, providing balanced rest time between competing teams”.
The FIFA Council also defined that the preparation period for the World Cup will be longer than the one in force in the last Qatar Cup – seven days – as well as the rest days after the competition. As of 2026, a total of 56 days will be allocated (preparation, time allocated for World Cup games, and rest period). In this way, the entity maintains the periods identical to the editions of the 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
The detailed schedule of men’s football international matches from 2025 to 2020 will be announced by the entity in the coming days. As of this Wednesday (15th), also in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, the Fifa Congress will begin and the expectation is that the current president of the organization, Gianni Infantino, will be re-elected for his third term.
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