The 2026 World Cup will be the first to include 48 teams

Iran would have played the Netherlands in the following round instead of the United States had Iran's late penalty requests been granted. Up until Salem Al-goal Dawsari's for Saudi Arabia in the 95th minute, Group C was expected to be decided by fair play and the amount of yellow cards. However, Poland now leads Mexico in goal differential.

The first World Cup to have 48 teams will be in 2026. 32 teams can currently be split up into rounds of 16, then eight, then four, and finally a final two. With 48 teams, this is impossible. FIFA considered a number of ideas while deciding how to expand the competition, but ultimately decided on 16 groups of three teams, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages. Before the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has plenty of time to review all options and go back to the drawing board.