--- title: "The first 48-team World Cup: what the expanded format changed in 2026" description: "How the first 48-team World Cup worked in 2026: records for goals and crowds, Cape Verde's run, the third-place debate and Spain's final win." url: "https://eclair.world/news/world-cup-48-teams" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-12" updated: "2026-11-12" --- # The first 48-team World Cup: what the expanded format changed in 2026 > **Key takeaways** — The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams and 104 matches. It broke attendance and scoring records and gave small nations a stage, while critics said the third-place table diluted the group stage. Spain won the final. The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico was the first played with 48 teams, and it produced more matches, more goals and bigger crowds than any before it. Spain won the title, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time on 19 July 2026. The expansion delivered on reach and revenue; the cost was a group stage that some critics found less decisive. > **Key points** — The tournament grew from 32 teams and 64 matches to 48 teams and 104 matches, with a new round of 32. > FIFA counted 6,665,825 spectators before the last two matches, beating the 1994 record of 3,587,538. > The previous record of 172 goals in a tournament fell after only 59 matches. > Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, with an extra-time goal by Ferran Torres. ## How did the 48-team format work? Teams played in 12 groups of four, and 32 of the 48 went through to a knockout round of 32: the top two in each group plus the eight best third-placed sides. The [FIFA Council](https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/fifa-council-unanimously-decides-on-expansion-of-the-fifa-world-cuptm--2863100) voted unanimously for 48 teams on 10 January 2017, initially with 16 groups of three. In March 2023 it switched to groups of four, which FIFA said "mitigates the risk of collusion" and guarantees every team three matches, the [Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2023/03/14/fifa-confirm-2026-world-cup-will-have-104-matches-and-a-new-round-of-32-stage) reported. **World Cup format before and after expansion** | | 2022 (Qatar) | 2026 (USA, Canada, Mexico) | | --- | --- | --- | | Teams | 32 | 48 | | Groups | 8 groups of four | 12 groups of four | | Teams reaching the knockouts | 16 (half) | 32 (two-thirds) | | Matches | 64 | 104 | | Matches played by the finalists | 7 | 8 | ## Did the bigger tournament break records? Yes, largely because there were 40 more matches. According to [FIFA](https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/white-house-reception-infantino-president-trump-records), attendance had reached 6,665,825 before the third-place match and final, more than the 2018 and 2022 tournaments combined and almost double the previous single-tournament record set in the United States in 1994. The average was 65,351 per match, with stadium occupancy of 99.7%, the highest in World Cup history. Scoring also rose. The 173rd goal, which broke Qatar 2022's tournament record of 172, was scored by Auston Trusty of the United States against Türkiye on 25 June, in only the 59th match, [Reuters](https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2026/06/26/soccer-2026-world-cup-breaks-record-for-most-goals-scored-in-a-single-tournament) reported. Totals are not the same as quality: with 104 games, the old records for volume were always likely to fall. ## Did smaller football nations benefit? Some did, which was the main argument for expansion. Cape Verde, the smallest nation by land area ever to reach the finals, went through to the round of 32 as one of the top two in its group rather than as a best third-placed team, [GOAL](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/winners-losers-2026-world-cup-group-stage/blt1290564cc1c787b2) noted. African teams had their best tournament: nine of the ten CAF sides reached the knockouts, against a previous record of three. DR Congo won a World Cup match for the first time, beating Uzbekistan 3-1. All three hosts reached the round of 16 and went out there. Canada recorded its first-ever World Cup knockout win, 1-0 against South Africa, and the United States its second, 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, [MLS](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/home-cooking-canada-mexico-usa-advance-to-world-cup-round-of-16) reported. In the last 16, Morocco beat Canada 3-0, England beat Mexico 3-2 and Belgium beat the United States 4-1. ## What did critics say about the new format? The main criticism was that letting two-thirds of teams advance made the group stage less decisive and the third-place table hard to follow. GOAL's group-stage review called the format, with its ranking of third-placed teams, "unfair and farcical", pointing to Iran, which was eliminated by a 96th-minute equaliser in a different group's match. Third-placed teams could not know whether they had qualified until other groups had finished. Supporters of the format answer that every team played three matches and that late goals elsewhere kept many final group games alive. ## Who won the 2026 World Cup? Spain, for the second time after 2010. Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute of the final against Argentina, who had played extra time with ten men after Enzo Fernández was sent off, [Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-fifa-world-cup-final-162917614.html) reported. Spain conceded only one goal in eight matches, the fewest by a champion. Earlier, Spain beat France 2-0 and Argentina beat England 2-1 in the semi-finals. England then won a 6-4 third-place match against France in which Kylian Mbappé scored twice, taking his tournament tally to 10 and his career World Cup total to a record 22, [theScore](https://www.thescore.com/news/3567778) reported. Mega-events are increasingly judged on what they leave behind as well as on the sport; the same questions are being asked of the [Milan Cortina Winter Olympics](https://eclair.world/news/milan-cortina-2026-legacy). Meanwhile, newer sports are using big multi-sport events to grow, as [padel's rapid expansion](https://eclair.world/news/padel-fastest-growing-sport) shows. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many teams were in the 2026 World Cup? Forty-eight, up from 32 at every tournament since 1998. They played in 12 groups of four. The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams reached a new round of 32, so 104 matches were played in total, compared with 64 in Qatar in 2022. The finalists each played eight matches instead of seven. ### Who won the 2026 World Cup final? Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July 2026. Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute. It was Spain's second World Cup title after 2010, and the team conceded only one goal in eight matches, a record for a champion. England finished third after beating France 6-4. ### Was the 2026 World Cup the best attended ever? Yes. FIFA reported 6,665,825 spectators before the final two matches, nearly double the previous record of 3,587,538 set at the 1994 tournament in the United States, and more than the 2018 and 2022 editions combined. The average crowd was 65,351 and stadium occupancy was 99.7%. The larger number of matches explains much of the increase. ### When did FIFA decide to expand the World Cup to 48 teams? The FIFA Council voted unanimously on 10 January 2017 to expand the tournament from 32 to 48 teams from 2026. The original plan used 16 groups of three and 80 matches. In March 2023 the Council switched to 12 groups of four and 104 matches, saying this reduced the risk of collusion and guaranteed every team at least three games. ### Which hosts did best at the 2026 World Cup? None of the three hosts went beyond the round of 16. Canada, Mexico and the United States all won their round-of-32 matches, including Canada's first-ever knockout victory, then lost: Canada 3-0 to Morocco, Mexico 3-2 to England and the United States 4-1 to Belgium. The United States hosted 78 of the 104 matches, including the final. ## Sources - [FIFA — FIFA Council unanimously decides on expansion of the FIFA World Cup](https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/fifa-council-unanimously-decides-on-expansion-of-the-fifa-world-cuptm--2863100) (10 January 2017) - [The Irish Times — Fifa confirm 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches and a new round of 32 stage](https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2023/03/14/fifa-confirm-2026-world-cup-will-have-104-matches-and-a-new-round-of-32-stage) (14 March 2023) - [FIFA — White House reception: Infantino and President Trump hail records](https://inside.fifa.com/en/news/white-house-reception-infantino-president-trump-records) (18 July 2026) - [Reuters via The Star — 2026 World Cup breaks record for most goals scored in a single tournament](https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2026/06/26/soccer-2026-world-cup-breaks-record-for-most-goals-scored-in-a-single-tournament) (26 June 2026) - [GOAL — Winners and losers of the 2026 World Cup group stage](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/winners-losers-2026-world-cup-group-stage/blt1290564cc1c787b2) (28 June 2026) - [MLS — Home cooking: Canada, Mexico, USA advance to World Cup round of 16](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/home-cooking-canada-mexico-usa-advance-to-world-cup-round-of-16) (July 2026) - [Yahoo Sports — Spain wins 2026 FIFA World Cup with 1-0 victory over Argentina](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-fifa-world-cup-final-162917614.html) (19 July 2026) - [theScore — England defeats France in 10-goal World Cup thriller to claim 3rd place](https://www.thescore.com/news/3567778) (18 July 2026) — Thierry Gustin, Editor-in-chief · November 12, 2026