The FIFA Council revised the 2026 World Cup group stage structure to 12 groups of four teams from 16 groups of three teams on Tuesday, bringing the total number of matches up to 104 from 64 in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
A nation will now need to play eight games, up from the seven required since 1974, to win a World Cu
A fresh set of 32 teams will begin the knockout stage, with the top two teams in each group and the top eight third-place teams moving on. As the tournament increased from 24 teams to 32 teams in 1998, third-place teams were no longer eligible for advancement.
Extra matches: As a result of the alteration, there will be 104 matches, up from 80 under the original 2026 plan and double the 52 matches at the World Cup held in the United States in 1994. More tickets to sell and more content for television broadcasters to provide translates to more money for FIFA.
Why alter? As the World Cup was enlarged from 32 to 48 nations commencing in 2026, the Council adopted the initial configuration for the competition in the US, Mexico, and Canada in January 2017. The group's last day would have included two teams competing while one rested, which could have encouraged corruption.
The Disgrace of Gijón at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where West Germany and Austria knew that a one- or two-goal win by the Germans would advance both nations at the expense of Algeria, which played a day earlier, led to the adoption of the current schedule, which has all teams in a group kick off simultaneously on the final day. West Germany prevailed 1-0 as Horst Hrubesch scored in the tenth minute with no further threats from either team.
Length: According to FIFA, the final will take place on July 19. The location has not yet been chosen, but the three front-runners are East Rutherford, New Jersey; Arlington, Texas; and Inglewood, California.
The tournament's duration has not been specified.
which will probably last 38 to 42 days. This is an increase from 32 for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and 29 for the competition held in Qatar last year. The 1994 competition took place between June 17 and July 17.
Effect on players and clubs: According to FIFA, players must be made available to national teams by their clubs by May 25, the day after leagues' last pre-World Cup games must be played. But, subject to FIFA sanction, regional finals like the Champions League may continue until May 30.
Following the release date is a recuperation period, during which time national team friendlies are not permitted but training is. According to FIFA, the 56 days of relaxation, release, and competition are the same as they were for the FIFA World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2018.
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