World Cup 2026: 48 Teams, One Trophy, and a New Format

The tournament kicks off on Thursday in Mexico City. Here is what newcomers can expect from one of the world’s largest and most watched events. Every four years, the best men’s teams on the planet gather to see who will be crowned world champions. This year’s tournament is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in 16 cities as different as Vancouver, Kansas City, and Guadalajara. The format has changed. 48 teams are initially divided into 12 groups of four. Each team plays the others in its group once. The top two teams from each group advance, along with the eight best third-placed teams. That makes 32 teams in total for the knockout stages. From that point, matches are single-elimination: lose and you are out. If scores are level at the end of extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shootout.