The expanded 2026 World Cup will feature four-team groups and 104 games in total, according to Matt Slater and David Ornstein of The Athletic.
FIFA is set to formally approve and announce the format for the supersized event during a council meeting Tuesday in Kigali, Rwanda. The men's World Cup has been a 64-game tournament since 1998.
The tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is expected to take place over 39 days, Slater and Ornstein add. Already the largest World Cup in history with its expansion from 32 to 48 participating nations, it will now also be the longest ever.
FIFA initially planned to use 16 three-team groups, with the top two nations from each section advancing to a 32-team knockout round. Under that format, the tournament would've featured 80 matches in total.