World Cup 2026 and the strangest things you need to know

Number of teams that will participate in the 2026 World Cup

As a general rule, the number of teams participating in the World Cup so far is 32 teams representing 32 countries. However, in recent years, there have been many recommendations and proposals to the FIFA Football Council to consider expanding the number of teams participating in this tournament. Many countries believe that the number of teams participating in the World Cup should be increased to 40 and will divide the groups into 8 groups of 5 teams or 10 groups of 4 teams, which will also lead to a change in the number of matches change accordingly. However, it was only until the 2026 World Cup that the decision to change the number of teams was officially applied. The 2026 World Cup will be a World Cup with the participation of 48 football teams.

Controversy

According to the announcement of the World Football Federation, the 2026 World Cup will officially welcome 48 teams from 48 countries instead of 32 teams as in previous seasons. This decision caused a lot of controversies because it created many problems for the organizers as well as the host country of the tournament. Many countries believe that the increase in the number of teams will make the World Cup gradually lose its value, while the team with low expertise and level still has the opportunity to participate in the biggest tournament on the planet. Some other countries argue that increasing the number of teams will increase the risk of collusion between the teams, as matches will be played at the same time. Not only that, 48 teams will create a burden and overload for the host country in ensuring accommodation, training, and facilities for players as well as millions of fans from all over the world.

2026 World Cup qualifying time

Up to this point, the qualifying time of the 2026 World Cup has not been decided because the format of the competition may still have changes in the future. FIFA is still in the process of reviewing and choosing the right time, unlike the World Cup in Qatar, where teams will compete in the winter, the 2026 World Cup will return to its original trajectory – a hectic summertime. It is expected that the tournament will still take place around June and last until July. However, the specific date is still being considered by FIFA. Not only that, because this year there are 3 co-host countries, so the consideration of the place to go directly to the final is a rather sensitive issue that FIFA needs to solve, and it is likely that the final result will be the same as 3 direct finalists for all 3 countries: USA, Canada and Mexico.

Venue of matches

The matches are expected to take place in all 3 countries: the US, Canada and Mexico. However, in terms of potential as well as strengths in stadiums, security forces and technology systems serving the tournament, the US is still the country with the highest priority to host the most matches. Of the 80 matches, the US will host 60 and the remaining 20 will be divided equally between Canada and Mexico. And of course, two important games of the season, the opening match and the final will be scheduled to take place at the US Metlife Stadium. The tournaments will take place in 10 cities in the United States (New Jersey, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle), 2 cities in Canada (Vancouver, Toronto) and 3 cities in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterey, Guadalajara).

Tickets to the final round

As the number of teams participating in the final round increases to 48 teams, the number of places participating in the continents will also change. According to the announcement from FIFA, the number of places to participate in the continents is as follows: Europe is still in first place with 16 teams, followed by Africa with 9 teams to participate, Asia with 8 teams, South America with 6 teams, Americas and the Caribbean with 6 teams, Oceania with 1 team and the remaining two places will be decided through play-off matches scheduled to take place. in 2025. This will be a round between 6 teams to find the final candidates to go directly to the United States, Canada and Mexico to attend the 2026 World Cup finals.

Champion title candidate

As usual, candidate predictions for the championship continued to be the subject of discussion among experts, the press and fans. Familiar names such as Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, England, Brazil, Argentina and Portugal will still be the most prominent contenders for the World Cup title. Including Germany who won this tournament 4 times, so their ambition will still be the throne position. However, in football, it is very difficult to predict anything, especially the results of matches. Because many of the previous seasons, the teams that were considered the strongest or the former champions had to return home right from the group stage.

The special thing about the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is considered a compassionate World Cup when the number of participating teams reaches 48 and the number of matches is 80 matches, this is a World Cup that creates many opportunities for countries that have never been able to participate. Attending the largest football tournament on the planet, and organizing it in three countries, the US, Canada, and Mexico is also a way for FIFA to reduce financial and infrastructure pressures on the host country, and to share the pressures on the other two countries.

The information about the 2026 World Cup above certainly helped you get the most general information about the World Cup that will take place in 4 years, maybe in the coming time there will continue to change about the World Cup. However, time is still long for the teams as well as the fans to have a brief overview of the tournament and make the most reasonable preparations.