World Cup 2026/27

Forty-eight teams will contest the 2026 tournament, the largest field in its history and the first change to the format since 1998. The expansion breaks the tournament into 12 groups of four; the top two in each group advance, along with the eight best third-placed sides, filling a 32-team knockout bracket. The 1930 edition began with 13 teams, and the field has grown in steps — 16 in 1934, 24 in 1982, 32 in 1998. The 2026 edition is hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The competition sits at the top of the international game and has no second tier. There is no promotion or relegation: places are earned through continental qualifying tournaments run by FIFA's six confederations — AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA. The FIFA Nations League now serves as a secondary competitive structure; the Confederations Cup, discontinued after 2017, previously acted as a precursor.

The tournament is held every four years. Brazil is the most successful nation with five titles, won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, ahead of Germany and Italy on four each. Argentina hold the trophy, having beaten France in the 2022 final in Qatar. Pelé is the only player to have won three World Cups, and Just Fontaine's 13 goals in 1958 remain the record for a single tournament.

The FIFA Congress established the competition in Amsterdam on 28 May 1928, with then-president Jules Rimet as its champion, and Uruguay staged the first tournament two years later.