The FIFA World Cup began on June 11. This tournament is the first to feature 48 teams instead of the usual 32.
All 48 nations have now locked in their rosters, tallying a historic pool of over 1,200 players, the largest of any tournament in history.
The teams have officially descended upon North America to their temporary training grounds, transitioning this tournament from a years-long planning phase into a historic logistical reality.
Out of the 1,248 players registered, 891 players are set to experience the World Cup for the very first time. Out of the 48 teams, four teams, Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, will be competing in their first World Cup.
Numbers: The 2026 Expansion
A Huge Logistical Burden
The 1,200-plus athletes, as well as thousands of staff and other personnel, have created quite a wild logistical operation across the hosting countries. Teams are occupying base camps across the continent with each team training and preparing at a unique location. Many of these base camps are colleges and universities, such as NC State’s neighbor UNC Greensboro, which is hosting Norway’s team with star forward Erling Haaland.
Team Norway hosted a community training session on June 10, 2026, where community members could meet the players and train with them.
104 Super Bowls
The sheer scale of managing 48 distinct team delegations across an entire continent has drawn stark comparisons from sports business experts and organizers alike.
Speaking on the size of the expanded layout, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “From a global audience’s perspective, it’s the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls” packed into a single 38-day window. The biggest tournament ever began with Mexico and South Africa on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City; It will conclude on July 19 with the final in New York New Jersey Stadium.
