For the first time in its history, the World Cup will host 48 national teams. FIFA considered placing them in groups of three, which would have limited the number of first-round games to two per team. However, this posed a problem the organization has tried to avoid in the past: having a team play both its matches before its peers, thus potentially allowing some teams to know their fate before the end of the group stage.

Here are all the teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup

Ideally, all teams should play their final group matches simultaneously, which is achievable with four teams per group. This format also increases the total number of games in the tournament.

FIFA ultimately decided on the four-teams-per-group format, resulting in a tournament with a whopping 108 matches.

The World Cup starts Thursday, June 11, 2026, with two games in Mexico, and ends with the final in New York/New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

Here’s the most recent full schedule for your reference: