FIFA’s governing body has voted to expand the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 teams. This change will take effect starting in 2026. It will see the total number of games in the World Cup rise from 64 to 80. Although there will be 16 more games in total, the finalists will play a max of 7 games, just like in previous World Cups. The new format of the competition will see 16 groups with 3 teams each. The top 2 teams of each group will progress to the 1st of 5 knockout rounds. This decision was made to boost revenue and to make the tournament more inclusive.

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