2026 FIFA World Cup (Canada-USA-Mexico)

[Tg11]

The first FIFA World Cup that will have 48 teams; 16 groups of 3 teams and top 2 teams from each group advance into the Round of 32. Then from Round of 32 it is straight Knockout football from there which means if you win you go to the Round of 16 and so on and so forth. If you lose in the Round of 32 you're out. You win you go on, you lose you go home.

The way it is allocated for spots in each region:

CONCACAF (6 spots)- 3 host nations Mexico, Canada, USA which leaves 3 other spots open for North American teams to qualify

CAF (Africa)- (9 spots)- 9 teams from Africa instead of 5 teams; we get 4 more spots for our continent

CONMEBOL (South America)- (6 spots)- 6 teams

AFC (Asia)- (8 spots)- 8 teams

UEFA (Europe)- (16 spots)- 16 teams

OFC (Oceania)- (1 spot)- 1 team

* The final 2 spots are playoff spots to make up the 48 teams; which means the final 2 spots could be from CONCACAF and Asia or South America


So what do you all think about the new format? I want your honest thoughts about this

 

[Mandon Knight]

Is there any chance we can finish this one and then 2022 first TG ? t:

 

[BlackFox]

Now this is planning ahead.

 

[Breogan]

2026?

Calling it now USA v Mexico final!

 

[Iceman]

I’m very interested to see how well the new setup will work and if it creates more drama and more entertaining or more cagey matches.

 

[Tg11]

48 teams also means more variety in the FIFA World Cup. It gives more countries the chance to try to qualify meaning countries who haven't ever made it before their first chance of actually being there or it gives countries who haven't been there in a while a chance to return to the grand stage. With 48 teams the tournament exposes us to new stars.

 

[Tg11]

Yeah that's true. However, it all comes down to luck of the draw too. The FIFA World Cup Group Draw if Canada is given automatic qualification we would be seeded just like USA and Mexico. Furthermore, we would most likely avoid the big superpowers in our group because they too would most likely all be in Pot 1 with us in the Group Draw. However, it also comes down to the FIFA World Rankings system too in determining the Draw as well. Normally when it comes to Group Draws when they do it on TV, like in the past host nations usually would get very favorable draws well except for South Africa in 2010 they ended up with a less than favorable draw. Yeah FIFA have also fixed the Draw too more or less to make everything balanced so that way certain teams wouldn't get screwed over.*

I doubt in the Group Draw USA, Mexico and or Canada won't get screwed over.

 

[Tg11]

Apparently also for 2026 Canada gets 3 cities that will be hosting venues for games; Mexico will have 3 cities that will be hosting venues for games and USA gets 10 cities that will be hosting venues for games

USA have 17 cities right now as far as proposals go in the 2026 bid but USA have to cut 7 cities out in order to have their 10 venues; but the ones that are definite locks right now are:

MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
AT & T Stadium (Jerry World) (Arlington, Texas)
Rose Bowl (LA) (Pasadena, California)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)

Which leaves 6 more cities for USA to be hosting venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup


Canada's venues are already set:

1- Olympic Stadium (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
2- Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
3- BMO Field (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)


Mexico's venues are also set in stone

1- Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico)
2- Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, Mexico)
3- Estadio BBVA Bancomer (Monterrey, Mexico)

 

[Iceman]

48 teams also means more variety in the FIFA World Cup. It gives more countries the chance to try to qualify meaning countries who haven't ever made it before their first chance of actually being there or it gives countries who haven't been there in a while a chance to return to the grand stage. With 48 teams the tournament exposes us to new stars.

Yeah, there should be quite a few debutants at that World Cup. Will be good to see more variety on show. The weaker teams will get one less guaranteed game of course.

 

[Tg11]

Yeah because with 3 teams in the group teams only get to play 2 group games; so if you lose both group games you basically go out and if you win both group games you essentially win the group but if you lose even one group game and win the other then you could get to the Round of 32 but it all depends on goal difference for 2026.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah because with 3 teams in the group teams only get to play 2 group games; so if you lose both group games you basically go out and if you win both group games you essentially win the group but if you lose even one group game and win the other then you could get to the Round of 32 but it all depends on goal difference for 2026.

I think the only way you could go out if you win 1 game would be if all 3 teams in the ground p win one and lose one. Team A beats Team B, who beats Team C, who beats Team A. Then the whole group would be decided on goal difference. All 3 positions.

 

[Tg11]

I think the only way you could go out if you win 1 game would be if all 3 teams in the ground p win one and lose one. Team A beats Team B, who beats Team C, who beats Team A. Then the whole group would be decided on goal difference. All 3 positions.

Exactly but then again that is the new format for 2026 but at the same time it is a lot more games. 80 games altogether whereas in usual World Cups it is 64 games.

New format of Group Stage, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and the Final itself you have a lot more Rounds of football that's for sure.

If all 3 hosts of Canada, USA and Mexico are given automatic qualification then all 3 host nations all 3 co-hosts would play on opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup apparently.

 

[Iceman]

16 extra games when you’re adding 16 teams doesn’t sound excessive. And it’s probably an improvement that there is a higher ratio of knockout games to group games.

Would be a good first day then rather than just having one match. Canada will probably lose even if they are seeded lol.

 

[Tg11]

Yeah but at the same time looking at the venues for Canada since I am Canadian myself I could literally watch games in all 3 cities of Montreal, Edmonton and Toronto but preferably Toronto since I am from there. I just know BMO Field definitely will be sold out especially for the games that they have there. With the Canadian venues anyway of BMO Field, Olympic Stadium in Montreal and Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton they will no doubt go under renovation especially now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to Canada.

As for Americans well then you guys have 10 host cities so it should be interesting to see which 10 cities get chosen to host FIFA World Cup games. I mean the last time USA hosted was 1994 and now 2026 you guys are co-hosting with us and with Mexico too so I can imagine the 10 cities that do get chosen of course will be New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Kansas City (rumored), Denver (rumored), Boston (rumored), Seattle (rumored) and either Miami or Orlando (rumored).

 

[Fallen Angel]

You've created a thread for a tournament 8 years in the future? Sweet Mama!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

We have how many major tournaments until then? How many Olympics?

 

[Tg11]

I guess I am just so excited because it is not every day a FIFA World Cup comes to your country

 

[Tg11]

12 groups of 4 with every team playing 3 games in the Group Stage and the 8 best 3rd Place teams playing with the 24 other teams to make a Round of 32 makes a better format than 16 groups of 3 with top 2 advancing

 

[Iceman]

It would seem more traditional to stay with the groups of 4.

 

[Tg11]

I think the only way you could go out if you win 1 game would be if all 3 teams in the ground p win one and lose one. Team A beats Team B, who beats Team C, who beats Team A. Then the whole group would be decided on goal difference. All 3 positions.

What would have made more sense for the new 48 team format for 2026

12 groups of 4 teams making it 48 teams; every team in the group plays 3 games just like it always has been; top 2 teams advance with the 8 best 3rd place teams and all 32 teams go into the Round of 32

Round of 32 is straight Knockout football; you win you go on to the Round of 16 you lose you go home

Same rule would apply from Round of 16 all the way to the Final

Perfect way of doing things

Thinking about it now...whoever said that collusion would not happen well I hate to say it but you may be right. Now the format is 48 teams; 3 teams in every group; 16 groups of 3 and top 2 advance. The risk of collusion will be much higher. In many cases, the two teams playing the last game in the group will know exactly what results will let them both advance to the knockout stage — at the expense of the third team of the group.

 

[Iceman]

I'd prefer that, although the competition may drag with such a long group stage and such a long time before the knockout phase. Also there would be little risk with nearly 3 teams going through per group.

I like the idea of this new method at 2026 but it is a radical change and I'm not sure everyone will be ready to drop the traditional feel of a World Cup.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

What would have made more sense for the new 48 team format for 2026

12 groups of 4 teams making it 48 teams; every team in the group plays 3 games just like it always has been; top 2 teams advance with the 8 best 3rd place teams and all 32 teams go into the Round of 32

Round of 32 is straight Knockout football; you win you go on to the Round of 16 you lose you go home

Same rule would apply from Round of 16 all the way to the Final

Perfect way of doing things

Thinking about it now...whoever said that collusion would not happen well I hate to say it but you may be right. Now the format is 48 teams; 3 teams in every group; 16 groups of 3 and top 2 advance. The risk of collusion will be much higher. In many cases, the two teams playing the last game in the group will know exactly what results will let them both advance to the knockout stage — at the expense of the third team of the group.

Like I asked in the other thread, how do you play 104 matches in a month? How do you ask two team to play 8 matches over 31 days?

Also the complaints about collusion avoid the basics. Especially as that implies that the two who already played two matches had no say in how things went in the first two matches. If a team gets 4 points or more in the first two matches, that means the other two must play to win.

I also think your system makes the group stages almost superfluous, where you have basically 3 teams from each group getting through. Also how would allowing 3 teams from one group make collusion less?

 

[Tg11]

Like I asked in the other thread, how do you play 104 matches in a month? How do you ask two team to play 8 matches over 31 days?

Also the complaints about collusion avoid the basics. Especially as that implies that the two who already played two matches had no say in how things went in the first two matches. If a team gets 4 points or more in the first two matches, that means the other two must play to win.

I also think your system makes the group stages almost superfluous, where you have basically 3 teams from each group getting through. Also how would allowing 3 teams from one group make collusion less?

Not every 3rd Place team in the group would make it. Only the 8 best 3rd placed teams.

Then with 12 group winners and 12 second place teams plus the 8 best 3rd Place teams to make it 32 teams in the Round of 32 would not necessarily be a flawed system

However, this is only an idea to fix FIFA's new format

FIFA's actual format is 3 teams in a group and top 2 teams advance out of the 3 team group

But it is not 64 Matches anymore it is 80 Matches altogether for this 48 team tournament.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Not every 3rd Place team in the group would make it. Only the 8 best 3rd placed teams.

Then with 12 group winners and 12 second place teams plus the 8 best 3rd Place teams to make it 32 teams in the Round of 32 would not necessarily be a flawed system

However, this is only an idea to fix FIFA's new format

FIFA's actual format is 3 teams in a group and top 2 teams advance out of the 3 team group

But it is not 64 Matches anymore it is 80 Matches altogether for this 48 team tournament.

8 out of 12. More teams make it out of the group stage then get eliminated and 8 of them through a table that does not take into account the quality of opponents.

The new format for 48 teams is 80 matches overall, but is still 7 matches for the two teams that make the final, while having a pretty clear way to spread them out, as each team wouldn't play every matchday for the group. This allows them basically to run with 3 groups everyday, for a 4 day cycle. And it isn't that big of an ask, because its only 2 matches over a 4 day span for the teams who have to go back to back.

 

[Tg11]

8 out of 12. More teams make it out of the group stage then get eliminated and 8 of them through a table that does not take into account the quality of opponents.

The new format for 48 teams is 80 matches overall, but is still 7 matches for the two teams that make the final, while having a pretty clear way to spread them out, as each team wouldn't play every matchday for the group. This allows them basically to run with 3 groups everyday, for a 4 day cycle. And it isn't that big of an ask, because its only 2 matches over a 4 day span for the teams who have to go back to back.

Well I am still excited because well my country gets to host it that being Canada