The 2026 World Cup is unlike anything you've seen before: it's the biggest ever, with more teams, more matches, and a brand-new format. If you're joining a World Cup pool, it's worth knowing how everything works — because there are 104 chances to make your picks.
What's changing: 48 teams
For the first time, the World Cup has 48 teams — previously it was 32. More countries, more upsets, and of course, more matches to predict.
The group stage
The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of 4. From each group:
- The top 2 teams advance;
- Plus the 8 best third-place finishers overall.
That gives 32 teams moving on to the next stage — which brings a brand-new twist to the knockout rounds.
The knockout stage (now starts at the round of 32)
With 32 teams advancing, a new stage is born: the round of 32. From there it's pure elimination:
Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Final.
That means more knockout rounds than in any previous World Cup — and that's where your prediction pool really heats up (each knockout match has a separate pick for 90 minutes, extra time, and penalties).
104 matches, dates, and venues
- 104 matches in total (up from 64).
- From June 11 to July 19, 2026.
- Hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, across 16 cities.
- The opening match is at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) and the final at MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, USA).
And what does this mean for your pool?
More matches = more fun in your World Cup pool. In Bolão de Futebol 2026 you make picks for all 104 matches, edit them right up to kickoff, and compete in 4 different competitions within the same group. See how to create yours and how the scoring works.
Format source: official competition data, consulted in June 2026.