"More teams mean many more games, a total of 104 compared to 64 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This also means there will be 12 groups of four teams, compared to eight four years ago. An extra knockout round - the Round of 32 - has also been introduced to help whittle down the number of teams on the way to the final in New Jersey on July 19."
"While critics will argue that increasing the number of teams could lower the overall quality of play, it has helped some countries qualify for a first-ever World Cup. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their debuts on football's biggest stage. Of these, Curacao are the biggest underdogs, coming from a country with a population of under 160,000 and ranked number 82 in the world."
Three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico — will host the 2026 World Cup, expanding multinational hosting beyond prior examples. FIFA increased the tournament to 48 teams, producing 104 matches versus 64 in 2022, arranged into 12 groups of four and adding a Round of 32 before the knockout stages. The final is scheduled in New Jersey on July 19, played on the tournament's 39th day. The expansion enabled first-time qualifiers such as Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, with Curacao notable as a tiny-population underdog. The larger field and tri-nation hosting create greater travel and logistical demands.
Read at www.dw.com
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