The proposed amendment to the 2026 World Cup format was unanimously approved by the Fifa Council in a meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, before the 73rd Fifa Congress.
The new format will consist of 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two and eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32.
The final will take place on July 19, 2026, with the mandatory release period beginning on May 25, 2026. Exemptions may apply to the final matches of confederation club competitions until May 30, 2026, subject to Fifa’s approval.
Despite the format change, the total combined number of rest, release, and tournament days will remain identical to 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions of the World Cup, with a total of 56 days.
The men’s international match calendar 2025-2030 was also approved, with the March international window having a two-match window in nine days and the June international break being a nine-day, two-match window.
Starting in 2026, late September/early October will be a 16-day, four-match window, while two nine-day, two-match windows will be retained in September and October 2025. The year will conclude with a nine-day, two-match window in November.
The Council also approved the key principles of access for the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, set to begin in 2025, with the aim of ensuring the highest quality possible based on sporting criteria.
The Fifa Council has approved key principles of access for the 32-team Club World Cup set to begin in 2025. Confederations with more than four slots will have access to the champions of the previous four editions of the confederation’s premier club competition, as well as additional teams to be determined by a club ranking based on the four-year period of the seasons ending in 2021 and 2024.
The current version of the Club World Cup will be discontinued in 2024, with the FIFA Council unanimously approving a yearly club competition to begin in 2024.
This competition will feature champions of the premier club competitions of all confederations and conclude with a final played at a neutral venue between the winner of the Uefa Champions League and the winner of the intercontinental play-offs between other confederations.
Additionally, the Fifa Council approved the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 bidding regulations and established a working group across all confederations to conduct a comprehensive review of the Fifa Statutes.
Amendments to the Fifa Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) and regulations related to the operations of the Fifa Talent Development Scheme, which will receive a $200 million investment from Fifa between 2023 and 2026, were also approved.
The Council confirmed that the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2023 will take place between November 16 and 26, 2023, and approved the slot allocation for the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025: AFC (3), CAF (2), Concacaf (2), Conmebol (3), OFC (1), Uefa (4), and host country (1)
