World Cup 2026: Everything you need to know about the new format

The most important event in football will have a fresh look from this year onwards. FIFA have changed the format of the World Cup, which will now feature more nations and more matches for supporters to follow.

The headline news is that the World Cup, which featured 32 teams at the previous edition, now counts 48 qualified sides. With the expansion, four countries have secured a place at the tournament for the first time in history: Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Intriguingly, all of them booked their tickets without needing to go through the play-offs.

To lift the trophy, a team must now play eight matches instead of seven. The competition format is similar to the previous one, with 12 groups of four teams each. The top two advance to the knockout phase alongside the eight best third-placed sides. The key change is the addition of one extra knockout round.

With the new format, the World Cup will feature 104 matches and will be played over 38 days of competition. It also means a revenue increase for FIFA, the governing body having backed the change as a way to boost investment in countries with less footballing tradition.

‘There is no better development tool than taking part in a major tournament of nations. It is not worth spending millions on football stadiums if no one plays in them, and there is nothing that generates more enthusiasm than participation. Qualifying a number of countries for a World Cup is hugely positive for the development of football,' said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Another revolution is that the 2026 World Cup will be hosted, for the first time in history, across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament opens at the historic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which previously staged the finals of 1970 and 1986. However, the USA will host the lion's share of fixtures: 78 of the 104, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The groups for the 2026 World Cup

Group A	Group B	Group C
Mexico	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Brazil
South Africa	Canada	Scotland
South Korea	Qatar	Haiti
Czech Republic	Switzerland	Morocco

Group D	Group E	Group F
Australia	Germany	Netherlands
United States	Ivory Coast	Japan
Paraguay	Curacao	Sweden
Turkey	Ecuador	Tunisia

Group G	Group H	Group I
Belgium	Saudi Arabia	France
Egypt	Cape Verde	Iraq
Iran	Spain	Norway
New Zealand	Uruguay	Senegal

Group J	Group K	Group L
Argentina	Colombia	Croatia
Algeria	DR Congo	Ghana
Jordan	Portugal	England
Austria	Uzbekistan	Panama

The full 2026 World Cup fixture list

All times BST.

Thursday 11 June

• 8pm – Mexico vs South Africa (Group A)
• 3am Friday – South Korea vs Czech Republic (Group A)

Friday 12 June

• 8pm – Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
• 2am Saturday – United States vs Paraguay (Group D)

Saturday 13 June

• 8pm – Qatar vs Switzerland (Group B)
• 11pm – Brazil vs Morocco (Group C)
• 2am Sunday – Haiti vs Scotland (Group C)
• 5am Sunday – Australia vs Turkey (Group D)

Sunday 14 June

• 6pm – Germany vs Curacao (Group E)
• 9pm – Netherlands vs Japan (Group F)
• 12am Monday – Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (Group E)
• 3am Monday – Sweden vs Tunisia (Group F)

Monday 15 June

• 5pm – Spain vs Cape Verde (Group H)
• 8pm – Belgium vs Egypt (Group G)
• 11pm – Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (Group H)
• 2am Tuesday – Iran vs New Zealand (Group G)

Tuesday 16 June

• 8pm – France vs Senegal (Group I)
• 11pm – Iraq vs Norway (Group I)
• 2am Wednesday – Argentina vs Algeria (Group J)
• 5am Wednesday – Austria vs Jordan (Group J)

Wednesday 17 June

• 6pm – Portugal vs DR Congo (Group K)
• 9pm – England vs Croatia (Group L)
• 12.30am Thursday – Ghana vs Panama (Group L)
• 3am Thursday – Uzbekistan vs Colombia (Group K)

Thursday 18 June

• 5pm – Czech Republic vs South Africa (Group A)
• 8pm – Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B)
• 11pm – Canada vs Qatar (Group B)
• 2am Friday – Mexico vs South Korea (Group A)

Friday 19 June

• 8pm – United States vs Australia (Group D)
• 11pm – Scotland vs Morocco (Group C)
• 2am Saturday – Brazil vs Haiti (Group C)
• 5am Saturday – Turkey vs Paraguay (Group D)

Saturday 20 June

• 6pm – Netherlands vs Sweden (Group F)
• 9pm – Germany vs Ivory Coast (Group E)
• 1am Sunday – Ecuador vs Curacao (Group E)
• 5am Sunday – Tunisia vs Japan (Group F)

Sunday 21 June

• 5pm – Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Group H)
• 8pm – Belgium vs Iran (Group G)
• 11pm – Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Group H)
• 3am Monday – New Zealand vs Egypt (Group G)

Monday 22 June

• 6pm – Argentina vs Austria (Group J)
• 10pm – France vs Iraq (Group I)
• 1am Tuesday – Norway vs Senegal (Group I)
• 4am Tuesday – Jordan vs Algeria (Group J)

Tuesday 23 June

• 6pm – Portugal vs Uzbekistan (Group K)
• 9pm – England vs Ghana (Group L)
• 12am Wednesday – Panama vs Croatia (Group L)
• 3am Wednesday – Colombia vs DR Congo (Group K)

Wednesday 24 June

• 8pm – Switzerland vs Canada (Group B)
• 8pm – Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (Group B)
• 11pm – Scotland vs Brazil (Group C)
• 11pm – Morocco vs Haiti (Group C)
• 2am Thursday – Czech Republic vs Mexico (Group A)
• 2am Thursday – South Africa vs South Korea (Group A)

Thursday 25 June

• 9pm – Curacao vs Ivory Coast (Group E)
• 9pm – Ecuador vs Germany (Group E)
• 12am Friday – Japan vs Sweden (Group F)
• 12am Friday – Tunisia vs Netherlands (Group F)
• 3am Friday – Turkey vs United States (Group D)
• 3am Friday – Paraguay vs Australia (Group D)

Friday 26 June

• 8pm – Norway vs France (Group I)
• 8pm – Senegal vs Iraq (Group I)
• 1am Saturday – Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (Group H)
• 1am Saturday – Uruguay vs Spain (Group H)
• 4am Saturday – New Zealand vs Belgium (Group G)
• 4am Saturday – Egypt vs Iran (Group G)

Saturday 27 June

• 10pm – Panama vs England (Group L)
• 10pm – Croatia vs Ghana (Group L)
• 12.30am Sunday – Colombia vs Portugal (Group K)
• 12.30am Sunday – DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Group K)
• 3am Sunday – Algeria vs Austria (Group J)
• 3am Sunday – Jordan vs Argentina (Group J)