2026 World Cup set to include a new last-32 stage in extended tournament

The World Cup will have an additional round. Credit: AP

FIFA looks set to back away from plans for three-team groups during the 2026 World Cup in favour of the more traditional four-team version over a longer tournament.

The World Cup finals hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico are set to feature 104 games and 48 teams for the first time.

Qualifiers are expected to be split into 12 groups of four rather than 16 groups of three as was initially proposed.Group winners and runners-up, along with the eight best third-placed teams, would then advance to a new last-32 stage.

Gianna Infantino said last year FIFA would rethink the three-team group stage. Credit: AP
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During the Qatar World Cup FIFA president Gianna Infantino praised the tournament as the "best group stage ever."

Many team's promotions to the next round of the tournament came down to the wire across numerous groups, leading to tense games of football and a number of upsets.

This led to Infantino saying in December FIFA would revisit plans to cut the group stage down to three teams, which reduce the number of nail-biting moments.

Argentina won the Qatar World Cup. Credit: AP
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Fifa also revealed some more details on the 2026 tournament at a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

The tournament is set to get longer, going up to 38 or 39 days for 2026 compared to 32 in 2018 and 2014.The preparation period for 2026 between a player’s release and his country’s first match will be around two weeks double what was in place for the winter finals in Qatar last year but shorter than the previous two summer tournaments.

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