World Cup 2026: Why the tournament will be hosted across three nations

The 2026 World Cup will be held in three different countries: Mexico, United States and Canada. With the latter hosting the World Cup for the first time in history. The choice to define three host locations, instead of just one, came about due to the increase in the number of participating nations.

Until the last edition, 32 nations participated, but now, the new format will be with 48 teams. With the expansion, FIFA were forced to increase the hosts, as the movement of workers and supporters will be much greater. Moreover, with three countries, the availability of hotels and accommodation, as well as training locations, increases.

World Cup to be in three countries for first time

In this way, there will be three countries and 16 cities hosting the World Cup. The United States will be the country with the most match venues: 11 in total. Mexico will have another three hosts, whilst Canada will have two.

Your #FIFAWorldCup 2026 Host Cities:

??Atlanta
??Boston
??Dallas
??Guadalajara
??Houston
??Kansas City
??Los Angeles
??Mexico City
??Miami
??Monterrey
??New York / New Jersey
??Philadelphia
??San Francisco Bay Area
??Seattle
??Toronto
??Vancouver
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 16, 2022

Until now, the only World Cup edition to have more than one host was in 2002, when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament. On that occasion, Brazil were champions. This was also the first World Cup outside the America-Europe axis, and FIFA's decision was made thinking about better taking advantage of the structure that both countries could offer.

48 teams divided into 12 groups of four

FIFA have not given details about how the distribution of countries by hosts will be, but it is imagined that each group will have a fixed base, to avoid long journeys. The 48 qualified teams will be divided into 12 groups with four teams each. The best two from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the knockout stage.

With the change in the number of groups - previously there were eight - the number of matches will also increase, to 104. Moreover, FIFA have also decided that the preparation time for the tournament will be greater than 2022. In total, the governing body is planning a period of 56 days, adding preparation time, the World Cup itself and the rest window until the return of activities.

"It's a continent: three countries and not three small countries, three large countries. The distances, the time zones, the climate differences too: altitude in Mexico, sea level in other parts," Infantino said in an interview with AFP in 2023, when talking about the World Cup.

The grand opening of the 2026 World Cup will take place on 11th June at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The grand final is scheduled for 19th July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

This article was originally published on T rivela.