:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/XGBRDX6NDBFEDMP3MM2NKZ4EAQ.jpg "What is the format of the 2026 World Cup and how will 104 games be played in 40 days?")
After an exciting World Cup in Qatarin which the Argentina of Lionel Messi was crowned champion for the third time in its history, the time has come to think about the next edition of the contest. Along these lines, this Tuesday, the Council of the FIFA has approved the new World Cup format for the 2026 North American edition, according to which the participating teams will be divided into twelve groups of four teams. The increase in the number of teams that will compete in the final phase, 48 from the next appointment, forces this distribution to have a new classification system in the group phase: the first two of each of them and the eight best third-placed.
In total, and for the first time in history, from this World Cup that will take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico, 104 games will be played, 40 more than in the previous format since France 1998, and the duration will also be 40 days, between June 8 and July 19.
According to FIFA, “the revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams”. Likewise, the Council unanimously approved the calendars of international matches “after a detailed consultation process.”
The 2025-30 men’s match schedule is set as follows: March: a window of nine days and two matches; June: nine-day, two-game window (including friendlies in preparation for final tournaments where applicable); late September/early October: a 16-day, four-game window (to be introduced from 2026, with two nine-day, two-game windows remaining in September and October 2025); November: One nine-day window, two-party window.
According to this provision, the mandatory release period for the World Cup will begin on May 25, 2026, one day after the last official club match, although there may be exceptions applicable to the final matches of the confederation’s club competitions up to 30 May 2026 subject to FIFA approval.
At 56 days, the total combined number of rest, kick-off and tournament days remain identical to those of the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Men’s International Match Schedule 2025-2030 detailed It will be published in the next few days.
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