{"id":41011,"date":"2026-06-09T00:41:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/?p=41011"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:21:00","slug":"format-for-fifa-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the format for\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup 2026?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Jointly hosted\u00a0by Canada, The USA and Mexico,\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>FIFA World Cup 2026<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0edition will see 48 nations featuring\u00a0in this mega sporting event. This\u00a0is\u00a0the first\u00a0time\u00a0that the\u00a0World Cup will see 48 nations going head-to-head, keeping up with\u00a0sport\u2019s\u00a0global\u00a0pull, growing fanbase and\u00a0ever-increasing\u00a0quality of the competing nations.\u00a0Since 1998,\u00a0the tournament featured 32 teams, divided into 8 pools, with\u00a0top two\u00a0nations from each pool then progressing to the round of 16.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 23<\/span>rd<\/span>\u00a0edition of\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup\u00a0will see an\u00a0additional\u00a016 teams\u00a0battle\u00a0it out in a\u00a039-day\u00a0tournament\u00a0to\u00a0etch\u00a0their name in the\u00a0sports\u2019\u00a0most glorious global event.\u00a0This amounts to a total of\u00a0104 matches over 39-day period spread across 16 cities, co-hosted by 3 nations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How does this change the fixtures\u00a0for\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup 2026?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Due\u00a0to\u00a0increased\u00a0number of participating\u00a0teams, nations will progress\u00a0to a new knock-out round of 32 teams.\u00a0The teams are divided into\u00a012 groups A to L, with top two teams from each group progressing directly to the next round.\u00a0<\/span>The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32. FIFA\u2019s official ticketing FAQ confirms 12 groups of four, 72 group-stage matches, and the eight best third-placed teams advancing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2013 Michel Platini, the then UEFA president,\u00a0had already suggested expanding the tournament given the quality,\u00a0participation\u00a0and popularity of the sport across nations.\u00a0This was echoed by the then FIFA president Gianni Infantino back in 2016.\u00a0While this was viewed as a political move back then, FIFA Council driven by the quality of the participating nations finally made the decision to expand the format.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"fifa<\/p>\n

FIFA World Cup\u201926: The First of Many:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Apart from expanding the format from 32 to 48 teams, FIFA World Cup<\/a> 2026 has a host of other feats that it will record for the first time:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Co-hosted by 3 nations<\/span><\/b>: This 23<\/span>rd<\/span>\u00a0edition will see 3 nations co-host the tournament, something that has never\u00a0happened\u00a0before.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Longest duration<\/span><\/b>: The duration of the tournament will stretch to\u00a039 days\u00a0from otherwise\u00a032 days. A week extension will mean squeezing the upcoming domestic leagues into a tighter schedule for players to\u00a0return;\u00a0or\u00a0pushing\u00a0the campaigns further into\u00a0latter\u00a0half of the month.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Most number of matches:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>As opposed to 64 matches, FIFA World Cup 2026 will see a busier fixture schedule with 104 matches.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>With European players coming off from competitive domestic leagues, it will be interesting to see how the longer format affects the fatigue and fitness level of players.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Record-player participation:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>1,248 players\u00a0are\u00a0on the roster\u00a0featuring from\u00a0449 domestic clubs across 71 nations. Out of which, 357 players have already\u00a0featured on\u00a0at least one of the\u00a0previous\u00a0editions\u00a0and\u00a0remaining\u00a0891\u00a0are\u00a0making\u00a0their debut\u00a0on the world\u2019s biggest stage.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Domestic club contribution:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>As always, English Premier League\u00a0is contributing over 200 players this season,\u00a0whereas\u00a0Bundesliga is contributing around 109 players.\u00a0Ligue 1, La\u00a0Liga\u00a0and Serie A\u00a0are contributing a combined total of\u00a0243 players. Saudi Pro League since its rise\u00a0is seeing a record contribution of 49 players\u00a0with MLS following shortly thereafter at a count of 44 players.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Club level contribution:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Manchester City holds the record\u00a0of\u00a0highest player contribution at 19, followed by Bayern Munich with 18, PSG & Arsenal with 16 and Barcelona with 15.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Record Appearance:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Cristiano\u00a0Ronaldo is leading\u00a0the appearance count at 226 caps at the start of\u00a02026\u00a0World Cup\u00a0with Lionel Messi following shortly after\u00a0for national caps.\u00a0However, Messi leads the World Cup appearance\u00a0with 26 appearances.\u00a0They will be the only players\u00a0alongside Guillermo Ochoa\u00a0to feature in 6 world cups. This World Cup could also see Cristiano break his own record of scoring in 6 different world cups with his current tally standing at 8 goals across 5 World Cup in 22 matches.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Goals:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Messi\u2019s current world cup goals tally stands at\u00a013, closely behind the leader Miroslav Klose (16), Brazilian Ronaldo (15)\u00a0and Gerd Muller (14). Kylian Mbappe is poised to close the gap as his tally stands at 12. The Galactico star is expected to surpass these legends with the France being current favorite to lead the tournament.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How did teams qualify for World Cup 2026?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    There is an\u00a0extensive regional tournament\u00a0each nation was part of.\u00a0From those qualifying tournaments, some of the\u00a0nations\u00a0got direct entry while some made it into play-offs.\u00a0The final 48 teams made it into the final roster by\u00a0qualifying across 6 regional confederations:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Host Nations<\/span><\/b>: Host nations get automatic seats\u00a0at the World Cup. Canada, The\u00a0US\u00a0and Mexico made it through without any qualifiers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Regional Confederations<\/span><\/b>:\u00a0<\/span>
      \na. Europe\u2019s UEFA Nations League saw 12 nations making it directly to the World Cup.\u00a0The remaining 4 European spots were decided by play-off among 12 group\u00a0runners up.\u00a0<\/span>
      \nb.\u00a0CONMEBOL allowed top 6 South American nations to qualify directly into the world cup through a single round-robin tournament.\u00a0<\/span>
      \nc.\u00a0CAF\u00a0allow\u00a09 group winners\u00a0direct entry to the world cup.\u00a01 team is selected from the play-off between\u00a04 runners-up\u00a0from each group. A total of 10 out of 54 makes it to the final cut.<\/span>
      \nd.\u00a0AFC,\u00a0CONCACAF\u00a0and OFC\u00a0make up for the remaining teams from Asia, North\u00a0America,\u00a0Carribean, and Oceania.\u00a0<\/span>
      \ne.\u00a0DR Congo and Iraq made their way to the World Cup\u00a0via Intercontinental Play-offs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Here\u2019s\u00a0a detailed breakdown of nations as per regional confederations:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

      Co-hosts:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Canada, Mexico, USA\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      AFC:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Australia, Iraq, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      CAF:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Algeria, Cabo Verde, Congo DR, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Concacaf:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Cura\u00e7ao, Haiti, Panama\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      CONMEBOL:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      OFC:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>New Zealand\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      UEFA:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T\u00fcrkiye<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Of these, Cabo Verde,\u00a0Cura\u00e7ao, Jordan & Uzbekistan are making their debut in the tournament.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      What does this mean for the fans?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

      The longer duration, more nations, and a new Round of 32 will ensure football fans relish this period. Football fans usually face a 2\u20133 month hiatus after domestic leagues end before they can watch their favorite players in action again. However, the World Cup, which arrives only once every four years, changes that. As the most anticipated sporting event in the world, it is expected to be the highest-grossing event of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The tournament is set to begin on 11<\/span>th<\/span> June with the final to be hosted on 19<\/span>th<\/span> July.While the giants are favored to go all the way, history shows that even newcomers can cause major upsets. That unpredictability is what makes the tournament worth the four-year wait.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What is the format for\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup 2026?\u00a0 Jointly hosted\u00a0by Canada, The USA and Mexico,\u00a0the\u00a0FIFA World Cup 2026\u00a0edition will see 48 nations featuring\u00a0in this mega sporting event. This\u00a0is\u00a0the first\u00a0time\u00a0that the\u00a0World Cup will see 48 nations going head-to-head, keeping up with\u00a0sport\u2019s\u00a0global\u00a0pull, growing fanbase and\u00a0ever-increasing\u00a0quality of the competing nations.\u00a0Since 1998,\u00a0the tournament featured 32 teams, divided into 8 pools, with\u00a0top two\u00a0nations from each pool then progressing to the round of 16.\u00a0\u00a0 The 23rd\u00a0edition of\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup\u00a0will see an\u00a0additional\u00a016 teams\u00a0battle\u00a0it out in a\u00a039-day\u00a0tournament\u00a0to\u00a0etch\u00a0their name in the\u00a0sports\u2019\u00a0most glorious global event.\u00a0This amounts to a total of\u00a0104 matches over 39-day period spread across 16 cities, co-hosted by 3 nations.\u00a0\u00a0 How does this change the fixtures\u00a0for\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup 2026?\u00a0\u00a0 Due\u00a0to\u00a0increased\u00a0number of participating\u00a0teams, nations will progress\u00a0to a new knock-out round of 32 teams.\u00a0The teams are divided into\u00a012 groups A to L, with top two teams from each group progressing directly to the next round.\u00a0The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32. FIFA\u2019s official ticketing FAQ confirms 12 groups of four, 72 group-stage matches, and the eight best third-placed teams advancing.\u00a0 Back in 2013 Michel Platini, the then UEFA president,\u00a0had already suggested expanding the tournament given the quality,\u00a0participation\u00a0and popularity of the sport across nations.\u00a0This was echoed by the then FIFA president Gianni Infantino back in 2016.\u00a0While this was viewed as a political move back then, FIFA Council driven by the quality of the participating nations finally made the decision to expand the format.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 FIFA World Cup\u201926: The First of Many:\u00a0 Apart from expanding the format from 32 to 48 teams, FIFA World Cup 2026 has a host of other feats that it will record for the first time:\u00a0\u00a0 Co-hosted by 3 nations: This 23rd\u00a0edition will see 3 nations co-host the tournament, something that has never\u00a0happened\u00a0before.\u00a0\u00a0 Longest duration: The duration of the tournament will stretch to\u00a039 days\u00a0from otherwise\u00a032 days. A week extension will mean squeezing the upcoming domestic leagues into a tighter schedule for players to\u00a0return;\u00a0or\u00a0pushing\u00a0the campaigns further into\u00a0latter\u00a0half of the month.\u00a0\u00a0 Most number of matches:\u00a0As opposed to 64 matches, FIFA World Cup 2026 will see a busier fixture schedule with 104 matches.\u00a0With European players coming off from competitive domestic leagues, it will be interesting to see how the longer format affects the fatigue and fitness level of players.\u00a0\u00a0 Record-player participation:\u00a01,248 players\u00a0are\u00a0on the roster\u00a0featuring from\u00a0449 domestic clubs across 71 nations. Out of which, 357 players have already\u00a0featured on\u00a0at least one of the\u00a0previous\u00a0editions\u00a0and\u00a0remaining\u00a0891\u00a0are\u00a0making\u00a0their debut\u00a0on the world\u2019s biggest stage.\u00a0\u00a0 Domestic club contribution:\u00a0As always, English Premier League\u00a0is contributing over 200 players this season,\u00a0whereas\u00a0Bundesliga is contributing around 109 players.\u00a0Ligue 1, La\u00a0Liga\u00a0and Serie A\u00a0are contributing a combined total of\u00a0243 players. Saudi Pro League since its rise\u00a0is seeing a record contribution of 49 players\u00a0with MLS following shortly thereafter at a count of 44 players.\u00a0\u00a0 Club level contribution:\u00a0Manchester City holds the record\u00a0of\u00a0highest player contribution at 19, followed by Bayern Munich with 18, PSG & Arsenal with 16 and Barcelona with 15.\u00a0\u00a0 Record Appearance:\u00a0Cristiano\u00a0Ronaldo is leading\u00a0the appearance count at 226 caps at the start of\u00a02026\u00a0World Cup\u00a0with Lionel Messi following shortly after\u00a0for national caps.\u00a0However, Messi leads the World Cup appearance\u00a0with 26 appearances.\u00a0They will be the only players\u00a0alongside Guillermo Ochoa\u00a0to feature in 6 world cups. This World Cup could also see Cristiano break his own record of scoring in 6 different world cups with his current tally standing at 8 goals across 5 World Cup in 22 matches.\u00a0\u00a0 Goals:\u00a0Messi\u2019s current world cup goals tally stands at\u00a013, closely behind the leader Miroslav Klose (16), Brazilian Ronaldo (15)\u00a0and Gerd Muller (14). Kylian Mbappe is poised to close the gap as his tally stands at 12. The Galactico star is expected to surpass these legends with the France being current favorite to lead the tournament.\u00a0\u00a0 How did teams qualify for World Cup 2026?\u00a0 There is an\u00a0extensive regional tournament\u00a0each nation was part of.\u00a0From those qualifying tournaments, some of the\u00a0nations\u00a0got direct entry while some made it into play-offs.\u00a0The final 48 teams made it into the final roster by\u00a0qualifying across 6 regional confederations:\u00a0 Host Nations: Host nations get automatic seats\u00a0at the World Cup. Canada, The\u00a0US\u00a0and Mexico made it through without any qualifiers.\u00a0\u00a0 Regional Confederations:\u00a0 a. Europe\u2019s UEFA Nations League saw 12 nations making it directly to the World Cup.\u00a0The remaining 4 European spots were decided by play-off among 12 group\u00a0runners up.\u00a0 b.\u00a0CONMEBOL allowed top 6 South American nations to qualify directly into the world cup through a single round-robin tournament.\u00a0 c.\u00a0CAF\u00a0allow\u00a09 group winners\u00a0direct entry to the world cup.\u00a01 team is selected from the play-off between\u00a04 runners-up\u00a0from each group. A total of 10 out of 54 makes it to the final cut. d.\u00a0AFC,\u00a0CONCACAF\u00a0and OFC\u00a0make up for the remaining teams from Asia, North\u00a0America,\u00a0Carribean, and Oceania.\u00a0 e.\u00a0DR Congo and Iraq made their way to the World Cup\u00a0via Intercontinental Play-offs.\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s\u00a0a detailed breakdown of nations as per regional confederations:\u00a0\u00a0 Co-hosts:\u00a0Canada, Mexico, USA\u00a0\u00a0 AFC:\u00a0Australia, Iraq, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan\u00a0\u00a0 CAF:\u00a0Algeria, Cabo Verde, Congo DR, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia\u00a0\u00a0 Concacaf:\u00a0Cura\u00e7ao, Haiti, Panama\u00a0\u00a0 CONMEBOL:\u00a0Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay\u00a0\u00a0 OFC:\u00a0New Zealand\u00a0\u00a0 UEFA:\u00a0Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T\u00fcrkiye\u00a0 Of these, Cabo Verde,\u00a0Cura\u00e7ao, Jordan & Uzbekistan are making their debut in the tournament.\u00a0\u00a0 What does this mean for the fans?\u00a0 The longer duration, more nations, and a new Round of 32 will ensure football fans relish this period. Football fans usually face a 2\u20133 month hiatus after domestic leagues end before they can watch their favorite players in action again. However, the World Cup, which arrives only once every four years, changes that. As the most anticipated sporting event in the world, it is expected to be the highest-grossing event of the year. The tournament is set to begin on 11th June with the final to be hosted on 19th July.While the giants are favored to go all the way, history shows that even newcomers can cause major upsets. That unpredictability is what makes the tournament worth the four-year wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":41013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-top-trending"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RethinkTrends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alok Chakraborty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alok Chakraborty\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alok Chakraborty\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4a86a8cce7fc3f6e5492cec5d1106f7a\"},\"headline\":\"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1086,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\",\"Top Trending\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/\",\"name\":\"RethinkTrends\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RethinkTrends\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/rethinktrends-logo-600px.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/rethinktrends-logo-600px.webp\",\"width\":600,\"height\":122,\"caption\":\"RethinkTrends\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4a86a8cce7fc3f6e5492cec5d1106f7a\",\"name\":\"Alok Chakraborty\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alok Chakraborty\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rethinktrends.com\\\/rethink-new\\\/author\\\/alok-chakraborty\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends","description":"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends","og_description":"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?","og_url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/","og_site_name":"RethinkTrends","article_published_time":"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Alok Chakraborty","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alok Chakraborty","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/"},"author":{"name":"Alok Chakraborty","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#\/schema\/person\/4a86a8cce7fc3f6e5492cec5d1106f7a"},"headline":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?","datePublished":"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/"},"wordCount":1086,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp","articleSection":["Sports","Top Trending"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/","url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/","name":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026? - RethinkTrends","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-08T19:11:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T12:21:00+00:00","description":"The 23rd edition of FIFA World Cup 2026 to feature first-ever 48-team format. What does it mean for this quadrennial tournament?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/What-is-the-format-for-FIFA-World-Cup-2026-.webp","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/format-for-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is the format for FIFA World Cup 2026?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/","name":"RethinkTrends","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#organization","name":"RethinkTrends","url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rethinktrends-logo-600px.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rethinktrends-logo-600px.webp","width":600,"height":122,"caption":"RethinkTrends"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/#\/schema\/person\/4a86a8cce7fc3f6e5492cec5d1106f7a","name":"Alok Chakraborty","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/05b7ac2e6a1d083dcade7933d3941168033d3fbecba2c9248f97893b5adb9fd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alok Chakraborty"},"url":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/author\/alok-chakraborty\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41011"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41019,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41011\/revisions\/41019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rethinktrends.com\/rethink-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}