FIFA Expands 2026 World Cup Again to Create 104-Game Program

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy as he celebrates winning the World Cup. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy as he celebrates winning the World Cup. (Reuters)
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FIFA Expands 2026 World Cup Again to Create 104-Game Program

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy as he celebrates winning the World Cup. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy as he celebrates winning the World Cup. (Reuters)

The expanded World Cup in North America got even more supersized on Tuesday.

The governing body of football increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event.

By retaining groups of four teams instead of moving to three, FIFA has created a 104-game schedule that will last nearly six weeks in June-July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The 16 host cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — now have 24 extra games to stage on top of the 80 they already had for the inaugural 48-team tournament.

Adding about 1.5 million more tickets will also further fuel FIFA’s expected record revenue of at least $11 billion through 2026 from a tournament that will rely on using high-revenue NFL stadiums.

FIFA said the decision followed a “thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience.”

The latest push by FIFA president Gianni Infantino for more games and bigger events in a congested calendar will likely provoke more concern among stakeholders such as domestic leagues and players' union FIFPRO. They have long felt isolated from talks on football’s future.

The six-week World Cup will start one year after FIFA launches a 32-team Club World Cup, which could also be staged in North America to test tournament logistics. The Champions League in Europe also has a new format with more teams and games in the 2024-25 season.

The new World Cup format will have 12 groups of four teams instead of 16 groups of three, the plan chosen in 2017. Both options were to go to a 32-team knockout round. The final will take place on July 19.

The format guarantees every World Cup team will play a minimum of three times instead of two, adding up to a stacked group stage totaling 72 games before arriving at the knockout rounds. The four semifinalists will play eight matches, one more than last year in Qatar.

The entire 2022 World Cup in Qatar amounted to 64 games in the seventh and last edition of the 32-team format. The 1998 World Cup in France was the first with 32 teams.



Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez Reach the Semifinals in Washington

Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom waves to fans after winning a women's singles match against Maria Sakkari of Greece on day 5 of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H Maria Sakkari of Greece .G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom waves to fans after winning a women's singles match against Maria Sakkari of Greece on day 5 of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H Maria Sakkari of Greece .G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez Reach the Semifinals in Washington

Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom waves to fans after winning a women's singles match against Maria Sakkari of Greece on day 5 of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H Maria Sakkari of Greece .G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom waves to fans after winning a women's singles match against Maria Sakkari of Greece on day 5 of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H Maria Sakkari of Greece .G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Emma Raducanu reached the semifinals at the DC Open — the biggest tournament where she's made it that far since her surprising 2021 US Open title — by eliminating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 on Friday.

On a muggy day with the temperature topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Raducanu took a medical timeout while reeling off the last five games of the match after trailing 5-2 in the second set.

"I would like to say I’m pretty good in the heat, for the most part, but I was really struggling today," said Raducanu, who was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles trophy.

"It was one of the toughest matches, conditions-wise, I have ever played in. ... Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly. I’m just happy I could close it out, and it was two sets."

Also reaching the semifinals at the hard-court tournament in Washington was Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up to Raducanu at Flushing Meadows four years ago. Fernandez moved on with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over qualifier Taylor Townsend on Thursday.

Next for Fernandez is a matchup against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the highest remaining seed in the field at No. 3. Rybakina was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over No. 5 Magdanela Frech, the player who beat Venus Williams on Thursday night.

Raducanu's semifinal opponent Saturday will be Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated No. 4 Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5.

In men's action, Ben Shelton made it to the DC Open semifinals for the second consecutive year, getting past Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (2), 6-4 in an all-American quarterfinal at night. Shelton won 90% of his first-serve points and ended the match with his ninth ace, at 146 mph.

The fourth-seeded Shelton, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, will face No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz or No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday for a berth in the final.

The other men's semifinal will be No. 7 Alex de Minaur against Corentin Moutet. De Minaur beat No. 14 Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4, and Moutet was a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in a match delayed for about an hour late in the third set because of lightning in the area.