In the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, where 48 countries will participate, 4 teams will be grouped into one group. The tournament is run in such a way that the top 8 countries among the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each group advance to the round of 32 and hold a tournament.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) announced on its homepage on the 15th that “At the FIFA Council held ahead of the 73rd General Assembly in Rwanda, the 2026 North and Central America World Cup group stage operation method was unanimously approved.”
As the number of participating countries in the World Cup increased from 32 to 48, FIFA has been thinking about how to manage the group stage accordingly. 메이저사이트
Initially, FIFA considered dividing the three teams into 16 groups to play in the group stage. However, it was pointed out that tension could decrease if the team to advance to the round of 32 was decided early in the group stage. This means that the dramatic scene of watching the results of Uruguay and Ghana gathering on the ground without laughing after Bentuho won the last group match against Portugal in the last World Cup in Qatar will not be able to be repeated.
In addition, as the final match of the group stage cannot be held at the same time, there is a possibility that the problem of collusion targeting a specific team will arise. At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, West Germany and Austria played collusion to eliminate Algeria. After this incident, dubbed ‘the disgrace of Gijon’, FIFA decided to play the last match of the group stage at the same time.
FIFA said, “If four teams compete, we can ensure that all teams play at least three games and take breaks evenly.” he explained.
It is also advantageous for FIFA to operate in 12 groups. The number of matches should be increased to 104 and the competition period should be extended by at least one week. As the number of matches increases, the broadcasting rights and sponsorship income that FIFA collects will also increase. According to foreign media, 90% of FIFA’s revenue comes from the World Cup.