How the 48-team World Cup works: groups, best third-placed teams and the round of 32

The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, was the first with 48 nations. The change is not just about size: there's a new round, the best third-placed teams qualify again and the champion plays one more match than before. Here's how the format works.

The group stage

The 48 nations are split into 12 groups of 4 teams, named A to L. Each team plays three matches, one against each group rival. A win is worth 3 points and a draw 1. In total, 72 matches are played in this stage.

At the end, these teams go through:

• The top two in each group: 24 teams.
• The eight best third-placed teams from the twelve groups: 8 more teams.

That makes 32 teams, and only the fourth-placed teams in each group and the four worst third-placed teams are eliminated.

How the best third-placed teams are chosen

Since the third-placed teams come from different groups, they're ranked in a separate table. Points come first; if there's a tie, goal difference, goals scored and, if still level, other criteria such as fair play. This system was already used at the 1986, 1990 and 1994 World Cups, which had 24 teams, and at the European Championship since 2016.

The knockout rounds

From the round of 32 on, everything is a single match. If it's level after 90 minutes there are 30 minutes of extra time and, if still level, penalties. The rounds are:

• Round of 32 (32 teams, 16 matches). This is the new round.
• Round of 16.
• Quarter-finals.
• Semi-finals.
• Third-place match and final.

Altogether the tournament has 104 matches: 72 in the groups and 32 knockout games. The champion plays eight matches, one more than at 32-team World Cups.

How the format changed over time

The World Cup grew several times throughout history:

• 1930: 13 invited nations in Uruguay, with groups and semi-finals.
• 1934 and 1938: 16 teams and straight knockout from the first match.
• 1954 to 1978: 16 teams with a group stage (with some variations, such as the second group stage in 1974 and 1978).
• 1982: 24 teams.
• 1986 to 1994: 24 teams with a round of 16 and best third-placed teams.
• 1998 to 2022: 32 teams, 8 groups of 4 and a round of 16.
• 2026: 48 teams and a round of 32.

Pros and criticism

In favour of the new format: more nations from Africa, Asia, Concacaf and Oceania get the chance to play a World Cup, and there are more matches for fans. Against it: some analysts feared that, with so many third-placed teams qualifying, the last group matchday would lose tension, and the tournament gets longer for the players.

Try it yourself

In GolDraft's Cup Simulator you can build a World Cup with exactly this format: you pick the 48 nations, the draw splits them into pots and avoids putting two teams from the same confederation in a group (except Europeans, who can be up to two per group), and you simulate matchday by matchday until the final. It's a good way to understand how a single group-stage defeat can leave you third and waiting for results from other groups.