Fifa switches back to a four-team group format For the extended 2026 World Cup, Fifa changed the structure back to four-team groups.
Due to the increase from 32 to 48 teams, the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada was scheduled to have 16 groups of three teams.
However, the governing body changed its mind once the Qatar 2022 World Cup’s four-team format was a success.
The change increases the number of matches from the anticipated 80 to 104, including a new round-of-32 stage.
The top two teams and the eight best third-placed teams, according to Fifa, advance to the round of 32.
Fifa switches back to a four-team group format
The world football’s governing body stated that the modified structure “minimizes the danger of collusion and assures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches while ensuring balanced rest time between contending teams.”
During the Fifa Council meeting in Rwanda, the action was approved.
Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, stated in December that the organization was exploring a format reform after the group stages in Qatar featured some thrilling championship matches.
With the men’s World Cup’s expansion to 32 teams in 1998, the four-team group system has been in use, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds.
Teams will need to play eight matches to win the tournament under the new round-of-32 format, up from seven at the 2022 World Cup.
Fifa approved a men’s international match calendar from 2025-2030 and said that “based on the new calendar, the Fifa World Cup 2026 final will be played on Sunday, 19 July 2026”.
It added that the “mandatory” date for which clubs must release players for the tournament will start “on 25 May 2026, following the last official club match on 24 May 2026” and that “exemptions may apply to the final matches of confederation club competitions until 30 May 2026 subject to Fifa approval”.
The women’s international match calendar keeps its six international windows per year and includes the women’s Olympic football tournament, which will take place from 25 July to 10 August 2024.
