North America hosts the 2026 men's World Cup

Sunday's men's World Cup final was the best ever.

On Sunday, the men's World Cup came to an end with the best game ever played in the final. There was a lot of corruption, but there were also GOATs and economic growth. Even while the U.S. Department of Justice was exposing FIFA, business was booming for the group that runs soccer around the world. From 1998, when the first 32-team World Cup was held, to 2022, more than four times as much money was made. Even though there has been a lot of bad press about Qatar, the tournament and its brand are as popular as ever.

And yet, FIFA is changing it. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup, which will have 48 teams and a new format. It is expected to have a "massive" effect on soccer in North America.

The first thing FIFA will have to do, though, is figure out what the new format will look like.

What will be different about the World Cup in 2026?

Since there are now 48 teams instead of 32, the organisers are in a tough spot. At first, FIFA decided on 16 groups of three teams, with two teams from each group moving on to the 32-team knockout round. But as public opposition grew, officials admitted that the plan would make the group stage less fun.

At a news conference on Friday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, "I think we need to go back to the format or at least talk about it again."

The most likely solution would be 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group and the top eight third-place teams moving on. A better plan would be to divide the teams into 12 groups of four, with only the top two going on to the next round and the top eight group winners going straight to the Round of 16. But it's not clear if FIFA has thought about the second choice.

In 2023, the 37-person, all-powerful FIFA Council will make a final decision on the format.

FIFA picked 16 cities in North America, 11 of which are in the U.S., to host games. These are the cities and stadiums:

East Rutherford, N.J./New York (MetLife Stadium)

Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)

Boston and Foxborough, MA (Gillette Stadium)

Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)

Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Houston (NRG Stadium) (NRG Stadium)

Dallas and Arlington, TX (AT&T Stadium)

Kansas City, Mo. (Arrowhead Stadium)

Los Angeles and Inglewood, CA (SoFi Stadium)

San Francisco/Santa Clara, Calif. (Levi's Stadium)

Seattle (Lumen Field)

City of Mexico (Estadio Azteca)

Monterrey (Estadio BBVA)

Guadalajara (Estadio Akron)

Toronto (BMO Field)

Vancouver (BC Place)

FIFA hasn't said how many games will be played in each city, but the North American bid committee wanted at least five games in each U.S. city, including at least two games in the knockout round.

In June, Victor Montagliani, who is the vice president of FIFA, said that a schedule was "being worked on." It could come out at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024. It should list the dates and locations of every game, from the opening game or games to the final.

Two sources told Yahoo Sports earlier this year that AT&T Stadium in Texas and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were the top two choices to host the final.

Teams and start times won't be known until after qualifying and the World Cup draw, which is likely to happen in December 2025.

The tournament will probably start at the beginning of June 2026.