The next one – 2026

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has now been done and dusted as Argentina defeated France on penalties to win their third title. After a thrilling 120 minutes, which ended with the score tied at 3-3. But Argentina kept their calm to score all their penalties while France failed to do so. The win has finally brought an incredible end to Lionel Messi’s journey of winning a World Cup title. 

 However, now we wait for four or, to be precise three-and-a-half years more before the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives. The next World Cup will bring with it several changes to the game. It will also be the first World Cup since 2002, which will be co-hosted. The month-long tournament will be held in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

So, what are the key changes that the tournament will bring?

2026 FIFA World Cup to Have 48 Teams 

The last time FIFA increased the number of teams in the World Cup was way back in 1998 when the number of nations was increased from 24 to 32. However, from the next World Cup, the number of teams will be increased to 48. FIFA announced this change on March 14, 2023 ahead of its Congress which will be held in Kigali, Rwanda.

This means there will be a total of 104 matches instead of the usual 64 in a 32-team-format. In a statemnet FIFA said,“The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches while providing balanced rest time between competing teams”.

سعادة الشيخ جوعان بن حمد آل ثاني رئيس اللجنة الأولمبية القطرية يسلم كرة استضافة بطولة #كأس_العالم 2026 لكل من كندا والمكسيك والولايات المتحدة#كأس_العالم_FIFA #قطر2022 #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qCj41rff16

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Alcohol will be available 

Qatar had a massive tussle with FIFA over the issue of alcohol in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Since Budweiser is an official partner of FIFA, it gives its exclusive rights to sell beer inside and outside the stadiums. However, since Qatar is a profoundly religious country, the sale of alcohol is highly restricted. 

However, Qatar said it would allow beer in designated areas outside the stadiums. Two days before the World Cup, though, they went back on the ruling stating that no beer would be sold anywhere near the stadium’s premises.

Fans will, though, face no such restrictions in the next World Cup as all three countries have loose restrictions regarding alcohol.

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World Cup to take place in three countries 

This will be the first time in history that three countries will host the World Cup. The tournament has been held three times before in North America but has been hosted by one nation, with Mexico hosting it two times and the United States hosting it in 1994. 

The matches will be played in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

2026 World Cup to be held in summer 

Qatar was also the first FIFA World Cup to be held in winter, which caused a huge clash with the regular scheduling. As a result, all the major leagues had to go on a month-long break to accommodate the tournament. 

However, from the next World Cup, the tournament will be again held in June-July, ensuring no conflicts with the leagues. Unfortunately, due to the World Cup being held between the seasons, the number of reported injuries rose dramatically. 

This was detrimental to any nation that lost their top players even before a ball was kicked in Qatar.

*This article is sponsored by Data Security Council of India (DSCI), is a not-for-profit, industry body on data protection in India, setup by NASSCOM®, committed to making the cyberspace safe, secure and trusted by establishing best practices, standards and initiatives in cyber security and privacy.