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The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest-ever edition of the tournament with a record 48 teams expected to take part in the competition, which takes place across Canada, Mexico and the USA. The increase in the size of the tournament will result in a few key changes which could end up impacting the competition in various ways that will be explored in this article.
We’ve got World Cup 2026 Tips on Andy’s Bet Club, including World Cup Winner Predictions and World Cup Underdog Tips. We’ll have World Cup Qualifying Acca Tips throughout the qualifying campaign, too.
📋 World Cup 2026 Key Changes
- An increase in the number of teams competing at the World Cup from 32 to 48.
- 12 groups of four teams. The USA, Canada and Mexico qualify automatically as host nations.
- The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout rounds (24 teams).
- The eight best 3rd-placed sides will also progress, leaving 32 teams in the knockout phases.
- This means there will be 40 more games overall across the tournament and 16 extra games in the group stages.
- The increase will see each federation given an extra few spots in their qualification period which is likely to see more teams that haven’t featured at a World Cup qualify than ever before.
📊 Impact for the tournament and potential betting angles
FIFA has claimed that these changes are to increase the diversity of teams competing at the World Cup and give federations, as well as individual nations, the opportunity to receive some of the commercial and economic benefits that come with featuring at a World Cup.
We are likely to see at least a few teams that haven’t featured in a World Cup before, especially from the African and Asian federations, which will enhance the viewing experience as well as allow players the opportunity to represent their country on the biggest stage. However, the increase in the size of the competition and platforming lesser-known nations to compete could have notable implications for deciding the outcome of the tournament, and could make some niche betting angles more apparent.
1️⃣ A longer tournament could increase player fatigue and injuries
Top-level players are already being asked to compete in an intense domestic schedule, which is leading to injuries as well as fatigue, and the increase in length of this tournament will further exacerbate this issue. This could lead to key players missing out on the tournament as well as competing nations having to manage their squad with increased rotation during the tournament, as games will be played in quick succession.
With 40 more games in total being played at this tournament, nations that have greater depth in their squad could be best placed to go deep here with the demanding schedule making it almost impossible to start a full-strength team in every game of the tournament following what will be a gruelling season.
Key takeaways:
- Consider nations with the best squad depth when thinking about backing a team to win the 2026 World Cup.
- When creating bet builders, check team news first. If you want to place your bets earlier, use bookies with features like bet365’s ‘Void if a player doesn’t start’ to cover your bet.
2️⃣ Group stages will look very different
In the majority of previous World Cup tournaments, the top two sides in the group stages progressed through to the knockout stages, with the other sides exiting the tournament at that stage. However, like the European Championships last summer, the introduction of the best 3rd-placed sides also progressing adds an extra layer to the group stage, and also takes away the jeopardy of exiting the tournament at this very early point.
This is likely to benefit a lot of the more established nations on the international circuit as they can recover a situation even on the last gameweek of the group, knowing that they could sneak through as one of the best 3rd-placed sides.
This is likely to slightly dilute the stakes of the group stage which aren’t as high as they would have previously been, especially if you are a nation that is stacked with quality but makes a laboured start to the tournament. There is also the possibility of teams playing for a draw or specific result knowing that it will guarantee the progression of both sides.
Key takeaways:
- Consider utilising the Double Chance, Draw No Bet or Draw markets – now that three teams can qualify from the group, we could see more close matches with neither side willing to risk defeat.
3️⃣ A bigger gap between the best and the rest?
While it will be great to see some of the smaller footballing nations competing at this World Cup, it does raise questions as to the overall competitiveness of the tournament, especially in the group stages. In previous editions of the World Cup, most groups tend to be quite competitive given that each nation has had to battle through an intense qualification process to get a spot at the tournament.
Whilst that qualification process is still tough, the extra spots allow for more sides to sneak through that previously wouldn’t have got close to qualifying for a major tournament. This could lead to some one-sided games in the group stages where the bigger nations are facing up against sides that have very little experience on the international stage, creating a big gap in quality.
Key takeaways:
- Likewise, given that there will be more weaker nations involved, consider using the Win To Nil and Handicap markets when looking to back heavy favourites – this can provide plenty of value.
Summary
Nations that have better depth could be better placed to go deep in the tournament as opposed to sides who mainly have quality in their starting 11 given the increased size of the competition. The best 3rd-placed sides also progressing to the knockout rounds will change the complexion of the group stages too, with any side pretty much able to qualify right up until the final matchday.
There will be lesser-known sides at the 2026 World Cup, and the gap in quality between some of the more established nations and the minnows could create very one-sided games, especially in the group stages. There will be more betting angles that emerge throughout qualifying and ahead of the tournament, we’ll be covering the 2026 World Cup in full at Andy’s Bet Club.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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