The method of operating the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup USA, Canada and Mexico, which will increase the number of participating countries to 48 teams, will be decided soon.
Starting from the 2026 World Cup, FIFA decided to increase 16 from the existing 32 countries and operate a total of 48 teams in the finals system. In line with this, a plan (plan) was also announced that the group stage, which had been divided into 8 groups of 4 teams, would be held in 16 groups of 3 teams.
However, FIFA recently changed its plan and is preparing to operate with four teams in a group as before.
Behind this move, the box office and achievements at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had a great impact.
FIFA planned a ’48 teams, 3 group system’ so that many teams from more diverse continents can advance to the World Cup finals and tournaments. However, in the Qatar World Cup, teams from all continents, including Asia and Africa, advanced to the round of 16, even under the existing system.
In particular, the unique thrill that can be obtained when two games are held at the same time on the last day of the group stage was also produced, like the final match between Korea and Portugal in the Group H match, in which Korea dramatically confirmed the round of 16.
Accordingly, FIFA is tinkering with the old method of placing 4 teams in each group, even if 48 teams participate.
The British media BBC said on the 3rd (hereinafter Korean time), “Above all, FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s thoughts have changed. He confirmed that the final match of the group stage (held at the same time) is ‘nail-biting’ tension, and a group of 4 “I believe that even with 2 teams, everyone has a competitive edge,” he predicted.
FIFA plans to make a final decision on how to operate the North and Central America World Cup group stage through a meeting to be held in Rwanda on the 16th. 베팅룸 토토
In response, Victor Montagliani, president of the North and Central American Football Confederation (CONCACAF), said, “Entering three teams in a group is a great proposal at first glance, but in fact there were many problems.” It doesn’t make sense,” he said, welcoming FIFA’s move to change.
However, the group stage with four teams is not without problems. In this case, the total number of games increased by 24 compared to the group stage of 3 teams (80 games), and a whopping 104 games must be played.
Due to the nature of the tournament, which is far from the host city, there may be a problem of overwork by the players, and controversy may follow, such as reducing the value of the tournament with too many games.