There has been a lot of speculation in recent months about the tournament format of the 2026 World Cup, but FIFA has reportedly now taken the plunge. The upcoming World Cup will have groups of four teams, just like the previous tournament, only now there are four extra groups.
FIFA still sticks to groups of four countries at the 2026 World Cup
There was talk of a tournament format with groups of three, but according to The New York Times, FIFA is sticking to the groups of four countries. The exciting denouement in the groups at the World Cup in Qatar would be the reason for this.
There are big changes coming up next World Cup anyway. The 2026 World Cup will be a ‘marathon tournament’ with no fewer than 48 teams. Last World Cup in Qatar there were still 32. This also means that the number of matches is increasing considerably and with it the number of match days. The upcoming World Cup will have 24 extra matches compared to the previous global country tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, America and Mexico. The tournament will consist of twelve groups of four countries. The winner of the World Cup therefore plays not seven but eight matches. This ensures that the tournament also lasts considerably longer. The World Cup in Qatar was completed in 29 days, but the upcoming World Cup will last forty days.
The plan was presented to the six football federations on Monday evening and no objections were reported. Formal confirmation is therefore expected soon. With the expansion of the World Cup, FIFA also hopes to generate more turnover. The international football association has budgeted more than ten billion euros for the upcoming World Cup cycle. That is more than 3.5 billion euros more than the previous World Cup yielded.
Morocco officially joins the 2030 World Cup candidacy
In related news, Morocco is an official candidate to host the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal. A representative of the Moroccan King Mohammed VI announced this on Tuesday at a FIFA congress in Rwanda.
The name of Morocco has been circulating for some time now, and a third host country would not be a superfluous luxury from an infrastructural point of view now that the World Cup will be expanded to 48 participants by 2026. Ukraine was also mentioned as a possible partner of the two Iberian countries. The Moroccan representative did not say a word about the candidacy of the war-ravaged Eastern European country.
The location of the tournament will be announced in 2024. In addition to this candidacy, there is also one from a quartet of South American countries: Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. The trio of Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia would also set themselves up as potential host countries, but that has not yet been finalized. If Morocco is awarded matches, it will be the second time after South Africa in 2010 that the World Cup will be held in Africa.
