Football governing body, FIFA has increased the size of the 2026 tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 matches as 48 teams will take part in the tournament.
FIFA disclosed this on Tuesday after its Congress in Kigali, Rwanda.
By retaining groups of four teams instead of moving to three, FIFA has created a 104-game schedule that will last nearly six weeks in June-July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The original plan for the 2026 World Cup had a total of 80 matches.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted in 16 cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto).
The change is expected to add about 1.5 million more tickets, thus increasing FIFA’s revenue.
FIFA said the decision followed a “thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience.”
In Qatar 2022 World Cup, 32 teams played a total of 64 matches in 29 days. The tournament has had 32 teams since the 1998 edition.
The last time Mexico (1986) and the United States (1994) hosted a World Cup, there were only 24 teams.
The new World Cup format will have 12 groups of four teams instead of 16 groups of three, the plan chosen in 2017. Both options were to go to a 32-team knockout round. The final will take place on July 19.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
