Forty-eight teams competed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held during the America250 year.
The 2026 tournament was the first men’s FIFA World Cup to expand from 32 teams to 48. The increase changed the competition structure, adding a round of 32 to the knockout stage and increasing the total number of matches.
Canada, Mexico, and the United States jointly hosted the tournament. The expanded field also made the 2026 event the largest World Cup by participating-team count at the time. The United States’ 250th anniversary fell during the tournament, which ran from June into July.
The 48-team figure refers to national teams in the final tournament, not the number of host cities or stadiums. The competition used 16 host cities across the three North American countries.