The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will introduce a new format with 48 national teams and a total of 104 matches, meaning the tournament champion will play a total of eight games. Argentina's national team will attempt to defend its title at the next World Cup, which will be covered by the Noticias Argentinas news agency, and for this, it will have to play one more match than in the competition held in Qatar in 2022. At a FIFA Council meeting, the new structure for the next world championship was finally approved, which will include a total of 12 groups of 4 teams for the first phase, four more than in the old format. Furthermore, not only will the top two teams from each group advance to the next stage of the most important national team event, but the eight best third-placed teams will also have a chance to play in the Round of 16 (a round added with the new format). Finally, the 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11th, and for 18 consecutive days, each day will feature four matches. After that, there will be a short break, and between the 20th and 23rd day of the competition, the Round of 16 matches will be held. Similarly, the quarterfinals will be played on the 25th and 26th of the tournament, again with four matches per day.
