FIFA continues to develop ideas for the format of the 2026 World Cup. Recall that for the first time in history, 48 teams will take part in this World Cup. And the current format of the group stage of the upcoming World Cup is 16 groups of three teams each. However, FIFA is considering abandoning such a revolutionary innovation, according to The Guardian.
According to the source, FIFA understands that with this format of the group stage, it is highly likely that there will be many matches in the last round without a tournament value. To avoid this, the organizers are working on the idea of holding the group stage of the 2026 World Cup with 12 groups of 4 teams each.
It is expected that FIFA will make a final decision on this matter next year.
