The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams from six continental confederations. The tournament is scheduled to last over a month, across 16 cities.

"The FIFA Council has unanimously approved a proposal to amend the 2026 World Cup to include 12 groups. In addition to the top two teams from each group advancing, the eight best third-placed teams will also advance to the next round. The revised format will also take into account measures to reduce the risk of collusion and ensure that teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing for a balanced break between competing teams," FIFA said in a statement.

That means the two teams that reach the final will have to play eight matches, instead of seven like the two teams that reached the 2022 World Cup final, Argentina and France. The 2026 World Cup final in the US is scheduled to take place on July 19, 2026.

The increase in matches will help FIFA pursue its £9bn revenue target from the 2026 World Cup, while also resolving format issues for the world's biggest tournament, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA also said clubs would have to release players for the World Cup from May 25, 2026, and the deadline for participating in a major final - such as the Champions League - is May 30.

FIFA's increase in the number of teams participating in the World Cup will help the Vietnamese team as well as Asian teams have more opportunities to participate in the biggest football festival on the planet.

Specifically, Asia will have 8.5 tickets to the Americas to attend the 2026 World Cup, including 8 direct tickets and the remaining tickets will be decided through intercontinental play-off matches.

The Vietnam team is currently led by coach Philippe Troussier and the biggest goal is to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

NK