FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams also changes the structure of the group stage and how teams advance, making the 2026 edition the most complex yet.
Under the new format, 32 teams—twice as many as before—will progress from the group stage to the knockouts. With 12 groups in play, not only will the group winners and runners-up move forward, but so will the eight highest-ranked third-place teams.
The expansion creates an entirely new knockout round, giving more nations a shot at World Cup glory. But with more teams and matches, ties in the group standings are inevitable, raising the stakes for tiebreaker rules.
First, points earned in head-to-head matches between those teams will be considered. Next comes goal difference, followed by the number of goals scored in those direct encounters. The third comes to the most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned.
If teams are still tied, these criteria are reapplied and only to the matches involving the remaining tied teams.
Superior goal difference in all group matches, most goals scored in all group matches, the fair play score in all group matches and the FIFA world ranking will be considered if a deadlock remains.
The fair play score—which could prove decisive—is calculated using yellow and red cards given to both players and team officials.
For each yellow card, it will deduct 1 point and 3 points for the indirect red card (second yellow). As for a direct red card, 4 points will be minus, while a yellow card and a direct red card will result in a 5-point deduction for the fair play score.
