How many matches the 2026 World Cup has: fixture and format of the biggest World Cup in history

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is set to be the largest in history, expanding to include 48 participating nations. This marks a significant increase from the 32 teams that competed in previous editions up to Qatar 2022, resulting in 40 additional matches.

The tournament kicks off on June 11 with hosts Mexico facing South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. This historic stadium, which has hosted two previous World Cups (1970 and 1986), will be one of three venues in Mexico, alongside Guadalajara and Monterrey.

The grand final is scheduled for July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The United States will host the majority of the matches across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco. Canada will stage matches in Toronto and Vancouver.

Over 39 days, a total of 104 matches will be played. The competition format has been revised, requiring teams to play eight matches to reach the final. In the initial stage, teams will compete in a round-robin format within their groups, playing three matches each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams across all groups, will advance to the Round of 32, a new knockout stage. From there, teams will progress through elimination rounds until the final and third-place playoff.