The World Cup this year is a little different from other World Cup editions. Since 1998 when France hosted the 16th World Cup, 32 teams have been competing in the tournament. However, the teams competing in the World Cup this year are 48.
This means there are 40 additional matches for football fans to enjoy. The total starting teams comprise 12 groups; an expanded knockout stage. It also means this tournament has 104 games. Previously, the total World Cup games played were 64.
Why the World Cup this Year has More Teams
First, there are three countries co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, and normally hosts become automatic participants. Hosts are always part of the competing teams.
Mexico, Canada, and the United States are the 2026 hosts. Hence, these three are automatically part of the 48 teams.
This World Cup’s additional teams are 16. This means that some countries that will participate would have been left out in the past. The addition of teams from another 16 countries means that:
- Teams from smaller countries have a chance of qualifying
- European and South American teams are unlikely to dominate the World Cup
- More countries will take interest in football
Commercially, the increase in competing world teams means more countries will be willing to pay for TV rights. It also means that more companies will be willing to pay to advertise their products.
Moreover, more sponsors are bound to come up to sponsor the World Cup. After all, the larger the viewership, the more sponsors are willing to come on board.
Obviously, FIFA wants to promote football the same way countries want to promote their tourist attractions.
How this World Cup will Proceed
The World Cup began on June 11th with 48 teams forming 12 groups of 4 in the Group Stage. Effectively, these teams form Group A to L. Since each team must play against every member of its group, every team played 3 games here.
Once a team wins a game, it earns 3 points. If two teams draw, each earns one point. If a team loses a game, it earns no point.
Ultimately, 32 teams proceeded to the Knockout Stage and began competing on June 28th. This was unlike in the past when only 16 teams proceeded to the Knockout Stage. The two teams that lead every group qualify to proceed to the next stage. Those are 24 teams.
The other 8 teams to proceed should be the best performers among those that rank Number 3 in their group.
How the 2026 World Cup Knockout Stage Looks Like
The games at this knockout stage began with the remaining 32 teams playing. Accordingly, half of those should be eliminated.
Next, the remaining 16 teams will compete against one another to eliminate half of them. This second part of the knockout stage will leave 8 teams to proceed to the quarter finals.
The World Cup Quarter and Semi-Final Stages
During the World Cup quarter finals, every time a team wins it proceeds to the semi-finals. That is expected to happen in this World Cup too. Consequently, only 4 teams from the participating 8 will proceed to the semi-finals.
This year, the World Cup will have semi-finals like those of past World Cup editions. This means the winner of every match will proceed to the finals. Then, the remaining two teams will compete against each other for the third position.
According to the World Cup calendar, this year’s quarter finals will be played from July 9th up to July 11th. Then the qualifying teams should compete in the semi-finals on July 14th and 15th.
Finally, the big day of the finals is July 19th. That is when the semi-final winners will compete at the New Jersey Stadium at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).