The FIFA Council to be held this Tuesday in Kigali, Rwanda will approve a change in format for the World Cup from 2026, the first to have 48 teams instead of the current 32.
The expansion of teams entails the expansion of games and days. Instead of the previous 64 matches, 104 will be played. The tournament will last 39 days, announced daily AS From Spain.
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In the end, FIFA opted for the most aggressive and long-term expansion. With the groups of three, the first initial idea, the number of matches would be 80, but from the highest body they felt that the incentive of the last day in the groups of four is of great interest compared to the last days of the groups of three where it would be easier to find matches whose result would match two teams to the detriment of the third.
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In this way, the league will be the same as before, but with 12 groups instead of 8. The first World Cup with 48 teams will be held in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026.
As this is the first ever three-nation World Cup, and such a big one, FIFA is looking into creating ‘zones’ where different groups will play. That is, those who play on the west coast would not move from the cities there, nor would those who play on the east coast. Only at the end and during the tournament would they mingle with each other. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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