The men’s FIFA World Cup is set to be expanded to 40 more matches from the 2026 tournament in North America.
The decision is due to come at a meeting of the governing body’s ruling council in Kigali, Rwanda.
Adding matches helps FIFA chase its target of more than £9bn in revenue but it also solves format issues for the event being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA had already agreed to enlarge the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.
Rather than having 16 groups each featuring three teams, FIFA will have 12 groups each with four countries, sources say.
The two top teams in each group plus eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockout round of 32.
The combined number of rest, release and tournament days remains the same as previous World Cups in 2010, 2014 and 2018 – 56 days.
It will take eight matches to win the World Cup in 2026 – up from seven. The final will be on Sunday 19 July 2026.
