48 teams: the biggest World Cup ever
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, a 50% increase from the 32-team format that ran from 1998 to 2022. It's the largest edition in the tournament's 96-year history.
Confederation slot breakdown
- AFC (Asia): 8 direct + 1 play-off
- CAF (Africa): 9 direct + 1 play-off
- CONCACAF (North & Central America / Caribbean): 3 automatic host slots + 3 direct + 2 play-off
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 direct + 1 play-off
- OFC (Oceania): 1 direct + 1 play-off
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct
Two additional slots go to the winners of an inter-confederation play-off tournament.
How the format works
The 48 teams are drawn into 12 groups of 4. Each team plays three group matches, and the top two from each group automatically qualify for the knockouts. They're joined by the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups, giving 32 teams for a new Round of 32 — a knockout round the World Cup has never had before.
Hosts
The 2026 tournament is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada — the first three-nation host in the tournament's history and the largest World Cup by geography.