What to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup format

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is fast approaching. Here's what to know about the tournament's format.

What is the 2026 FIFA World Cup format?

The World Cup draw on Friday will separate 48 teams (and placeholders) into 12 groups of four teams each. Each team will play three games in the group stage, one against every team in its group.

The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, as in previous years. But the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams will create an additional round of knockout matches. Instead of 16 teams advancing to the first knockout round, as has been the case since 1998, there will be 32 making it out…