The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, USA and Mexico. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, 48 teams will participate in the tournament, which will completely change the format of the World Cup. You can find out how the new mod works here on SPOX.

The 23rd World Cup will be held in Canada, USA and Mexico in 2026. The 2026 World Cup will see improved game modes and an increase in the number of participating teams.

SPOX Below is how the new World Cup 2026 mode works.

World Cup 2026: How does the new mode work?

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is currently the last World Cup, with 32 teams fighting for the title. The teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each. After a group stage in which two teams from each group prevail, nations duel in rounds of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, until a new world champion is crowned in the final.

This game mode is to be improved for the 2026 World Cup. A total of 48 teams will debut at the World Cup in Canada, the USA and Mexico, 16 more countries than before. The 48 teams will likely be divided into 16 groups of three in the future. The top two teams from each group qualify for the knockout stages.

The redesigned knockout stage will begin for teams with the Round of 16. As usual, the road to the World Cup finals then goes through the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals. With the new World Cup mode, there should be a total of 16 more World Cup games in the future. The 2026 World Cup will probably feature 80 games instead of 64. Due to the smaller groups, the number of games for the teams leading up to the final will be the same with seven matches.

FIFA is yet to confirm the new World Cup mode. More improvements to the game mode may be added in the 2026 World Cup. There is speculation of a penalty shootout after every group stage draw, earning bonus points for the winner. After the group stage the smaller groups advance to the nation level exposure on points and goals. Penalty shoot-outs in the group stage after a draw could solve this problem, but could also lead to collusion between teams.

World Cup 2026: How does the new mode work? – Information at a glance

• planning: world cup 2026
• Event Duration: June and July 2026
• World Cup Host: Canada, America, Mexico
• place: 16
• Participating Teams: 48

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