Teams for the expanded 2026 World Cup would camp in regional clusters during the early rounds to ease travel, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In his remarks at the introduction of the competition’s official design and emblem in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Infantino stated that the size of the 2026 World Cup will be the biggest challenge ahead of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by three countries in North America – USA, Canada, and Mexico, will feature 48 teams instead of 32, for the first time in the history of the tournament.
According to Infantino, the 32 coaches involved in last year’s World Cup gathered in Doha last week to talk about travel and the move toward camping teams in clusters.
The FIFA president said, “The challenges will be the whole logistics around it. It’s a continent -– three countries and not three small countries either — three big countries.
“The distances, the time zones, the climatic differences too — altitude in Mexico, sea level in other parts.
“So for us, it’s important to create the right environment for the teams and the fans to be put in the best possible conditions.
“Meaning not having to travel too much, especially at the beginning. So we will create some clusters where teams will be based depending on the draw and then they will play their games in that particular cluster.”
He added, “This was one of the advantages of the World Cup in Qatar, where a player, one hour after the game, was in his bed.
“(In 2026) there will be some travel involved but we will coordinate that and make sure that it will be the best possible conditions for the teams.”
The competition will be held in 16 cities throughout three North American nations—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—from yet to be determined date in June through July 19, 2026.
