The expanded 2026 World Cup may not necessarily feature three-team groups amid criticism of the proposed reforms, says FIFA's chief of global football Arsene Wenger.
In January 2017, the FIFA Council voted to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup finals from 32 to 48, with the first tournament under the new format set to take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada in four years' time.
FIFA initially said the new format will contain 16 groups of three teams, with the top two in each advancing to a 32-team knockout stage, but that proposal has attracted renewed criticism recently.
Several thrilling group-stage finales at the current tournament in Qatar, where Japan and South Korea advanced in dramatic circumstances and the possibility of Poland and Mexico being separated via their disciplinary records emerged, have provoked calls to abandon the plan.
The existing proposal would see an end to groups being decided by simultaneous fixtures on matchday three, but Wenger has revealed the format could yet be altered.
"This is not decided, but it will be 16 groups of three, 12 groups of four, or two sides of six groups of four, like you organise two 24-team [tournaments]," Wenger said on Sunday.
"I will not be able to decide that, it will be decided by the FIFA Council, and I think it will be done in the next year."
Earlier this week, it was also reported FIFA were considering the introduction of group-stage penalty shoot-outs under the new format, with winning teams being granted a bonus point.
Sixteen cities were officially selected to host games at the 2026 World Cup earlier this year, with Vancouver, Toronto, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City joining 11 locations across the USA.
Brazil's World Cup last-16 clash with South Korea on Monday promises to be an emotional occasion for all associated with the Selecao.
The game comes after reports emerged on Saturday indicating legendary former striker Pele is now receiving palliative care in hospital after his body stopped responding to cancer treatment.
Pele helped Brazil to three World Cup successes and is revered by many as the greatest to ever play the sport.
The 82-year-old, whose condition is stable, remains an iconic figure for Brazilian football, and the team will undoubtedly have him at the front of their minds as they take on South Korea at Stadium 974 on Monday.
Current talisman Neymar will presumably be even more desperate to feature in the match, with tributes to Pele expected from both players and fans.
The Paris Saint-Germain star injured his ankle on matchday one and sat out the rest of the group phase, with Brazil managing to top their section despite defeat to Cameroon on Friday.
Brazil have always been hopeful Neymar will be able to feature in the knockouts, and Tite confirmed on Sunday that the 30-year-old will play as long as he comes through a final training session.
Captain Thiago Silva previously suggested Neymar had a good chance of featuring against Korea.
"It depends a lot on training," he said. "It seems that there will be a test a little more on the field, I don't know if he will put on his boots.
"Only from then on can we pass on something more concrete to you, but until then I cannot pass on ahead of the doctor on this situation.
"[The injury] must be tested, to see how the ankle is, if it will hold up or not, if it will be in a little pain. He will have pain, that's part of it, I've had this type of injury.
"However, if everything goes well as planned, the hope is that he will be available. But I leave that to Tite and the doctor."
Brazil are going to be without Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles, both of whom have been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
Nevertheless, they will be firm favourites having progressed from each of their previous seven last-16 matches at the World Cup, last getting eliminated at this stage in 1990 against Argentina.
Similarly, South Korea have not played a knockout game at the tournament since 2010, and their only win (excluding penalties) after the group stages came as co-hosts in 2002 when they beat Italy in the round of 16.
But coach Tite insists Brazil – who beat South Korea 5-1 in June – will not be complacent.
He said: "Brazil lost to Cameroon; Portugal lost to South Korea; France lost to Tunisia; Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. I think the results speak for themselves.
"I think these are very strong, very tough matches. I don't think we can think any prior situation makes it easy.
"We need to be very careful. We were very careful with the match against Cameroon. We were. We can't say it's easier and we have an advantage. We can't say that."
By the same token, Hwang Hee-chan – scorer of South Korea's decisive goal in the dramatic 2-1 win over Portugal that took them through at the expense of Uruguay – is adamant the Taeguk Warriors are not in the last 16 just to make up the numbers.
"Just because we play Brazil, it won't mean we will be just happy to be there in the knockouts," he said. "Our objective is to win and give our people something to cheer about. We're not just happy to be here. We want to play well and win for our fans."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Korea – Kim Jin-su
One of South Korea's main attacking routes in this tournament has been down the left flank, with Kim Jin-su's quality deliveries a real feature.
Only three defenders have recorded more open-play crosses than his 14, while Joao Cancelo (six) is the sole full-back to complete more of them than Kim (five). Cho Gue-sung has proven an aerial threat already in Qatar, and they will need to exploit every strength possible against the Selecao.
Brazil – Raphinha
With Kim one of South Korea's biggest dangers, Raphinha will want to be firing on all cylinders to keep the left-back occupied and as deep as possible.
But on top of that, Brazil's injury issues could result in a somewhat makeshift backline. It would seem either the 39-year-old Dani Alves or centre-back Eder Militao will start at right-back, and they will be keen for some support, particularly as Son Heung-min also operates from the left as he did initially against Portugal.
PREDICTION
Brazil are, as expected, massive favourites for this. Stats Perform's AI model gives them a 76.2 per cent chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.
South Korea on the other hand, their rating is just 8.2 per cent. But then again, who had them even getting this far before matchday three?
Kylian Mbappe is not concerned by either the Golden Ball or the Golden Boot at Qatar 2022, targeting only a second World Cup win with France.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is a leading contender for the award given to the tournament's best player and the prize that goes to its leading scorer.
Mbappe scored twice in Sunday's 3-1 win over Poland to send France through to the quarter-finals and open up a lead in the Golden Boot race, having now netted five – two ahead of his nearest rival.
But the forward's sole focus was on a positive result for France, rather than worrying about any individual honours at the end of the World Cup.
"To be honest, no," Mbappe said, when asked if he was aiming to win the Golden Ball. "The only objective for me is to win the World Cup. Now to win the next game, the quarter-final is the most important thing.
"That's what I dream. The only thing I dream is to win the World Cup. I didn't dream to win the Golden Ball or the Golden Boot.
"If I get it, I will take it, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to win and to help the French national team."
Mbappe was meeting the media for the first time at this tournament, and he explained this was a deliberate decision to ensure he was in the best possible shape to lead France to glory.
"I wanted to take the floor because people have been asking about why I haven't appeared before the media," he said. "It was nothing personal; I just needed to focus on the tournament, on my football.
"When I want to concentrate, that's how I function. That's why I didn't speak to you before now.
"I was told I would be fined, but I wanted to pay the fine myself. The federation shouldn't pay the fine.
"This is the competition of my dreams. I am delighted to be here. I have been preparing for this tournament throughout the season, both physically and mentally. I wanted to be ready for this tournament, and I am.
"It has been good so far, but we're a long way from the objective, which is to win the final."
Kylian Mbappe did not perform at his best against Poland despite a second-half brace that helped fire France into the quarter-finals, Didier Deschamps said.
With five goals in Qatar, Mbappe's career tally at the World Cup is now at nine at the age of 23, with only Just Fontaine (13) scoring more for France at the tournament – all of which came in the 1958 World Cup.
Despite his goalscoring exploits, Deschamps stated his belief Mbappe did not have his best performance.
"We know about Kylian. We've already seen him. He speaks on the football pitch," the coach said in the post-match press conference.
"He didn't have his best match tonight, I don't want to accuse him of anything, and he knows that himself. But he can change a match in a moment.
"He's playing with such joy. We want to share those smiles with him. France needed a great Kylian Mbappe tonight, and they got one."
The Paris Saint-Germain striker will share the headlines with Olivier Giroud, who opened the scoring against Poland to become his nation's all-time leading scorer with 52 goals – surpassing Thierry Henry's tally that had stood since 2009.
Giroud was a key member of France's squad in Russia in 2018, although he failed to score and now boasts four goals in Qatar, an impressive return considering he would likely have played a reduced role had Karim Benzema remained fit.
Deschamps hailed Giroud's efforts and impact but acknowledged he may well be surpassed by Mbappe further down the line. The France number 10 already has 33 international goals.
"Olivier has always been an important player. Four years ago he didn't score, but he was a very important player for us," Deschamps said. "There were difficult periods for him in his career.
"Today we're seeing his quality. He's often criticised but has managed to remain strong, mentally strong. It was a very difficult record, because it was Thierry Henry before him.
"There's a guy next to me [Mbappe] who might break it one day. To score so many goals at international level is an incredible achievement."
Poland head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz can understand frustration around Robert Lewandowski's role after the team's World Cup exit.
A 3-1 defeat to France in the round of 16 on Sunday meant the end for Poland in Qatar, who went down to goals from Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice. Lewandowski netted a consolation penalty in stoppage time at Al Thumama Stadium.
This was Poland's first match in the knockout stage of a World Cup since 1986, when they lost 4-0 to Brazil in the round of 16.
Speaking at a press conference after the defeat, Michniewicz accentuated the positive of his team reaching the last-16 stage for the first time in 36 years, even though he was disappointed by the result.
"Unfortunately, this tournament is over for us. After 36 years, we reached the knockout stage but faced the current world champions. Congratulations to France," he said.
"We had good situations at 0-0 and I think many things changed before the break with [Giroud's 44th-minute] goal, the French became calmer and we became nervous.
"We knew we could still recover, we made some changes on the hour, another forward came on [Arkadiusz Milik] and had moments where we could score. [But then] Mbappe scored fantastically and not even Wojciech [Szczesny] could help us on this occasion, even though he had an excellent tournament.
"After some weeks and months I think we will be able to be look back and appreciate that we achieved something here we have not done in 36 years."
Michniewicz would not speak on his own future, with his contract reportedly up at the end of the tournament, and was also asked about 34-year-old Lewandowski, who scored his first two World Cup goals in Qatar but largely cut an isolated figure during Poland's campaign.
"He will decide his future himself," the coach said. "Looking at the way he is playing, I think he will be captain for years. Let's see if he'll play at the next World Cup.
"Expectations are always huge and the same is for Lewandowski. His situation is difficult. The style of Portugal or France is more beneficial for the forwards. We have a different style, we have some limitations and need to focus on others and close the gap of levels against [Lionel] Messi, Mbappe and other strikers."
He added of the Barcelona forward: "It is a difficult situation for Lewandowski, but I still think he will always score for the national team."
Mbappe was in electric form, becoming the youngest player to reach five knockout stage goals at the World Cup since Pele in 1958, and Michniewicz heaped praise on the rapid attacker.
"You don't have to be a coach to know what the biggest strength of France is, we always wanted to have two players on [Ousmane] Dembele and Mbappe," the Poland boss said.
"Giroud is so smart in the penalty area that he so often scores from the middle of the goal after work from the wingers. We were ready for that, but no coach has a recipe to stop Mbappe in the form he is in.
"A fantastic player, he harmed us today. I think he will be the one to take over as the best in the world for many years."
Olivier Giroud pledged to put his record-breaking 52nd France goal behind him after helping Les Bleus reach the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Poland.
Giroud equalled Thierry Henry's tally of 51 France goals by scoring twice against Australia in his side's World Cup opener last month, and he went one better by opening the scoring with a neat finish at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday.
Kylian Mbappe then scored two outstanding goals as France maintained their record of advancing from all of their last-16 World Cup ties, with this sixth such win teeing up a meeting with England or Senegal.
Asked about his record-breaking strike by TF1, Giroud said he was simply relieved to have ended conversations about when his historic goal would arrive.
"My wife and my children were there, plus my childhood friend. It's a childhood dream to beat Thierry Henry like that," Giroud said.
"A lot of people told me it was coming, now I put it behind me and my obsession is to go as far as possible with the team.
"I was a little frustrated not to have been able to capitalise on one or two crosses that we made at the start of the match, so I really wanted to score this goal, just to stop talking about it!"
The victory means France remain on course to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil did so in 1962, while Les Bleus have only lost one of their seven knockout games at the tournament under Didier Deschamps.
France lost several key players – including Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante – to injury ahead of the tournament, and Giroud believes strong team spirit has helped them cope.
"The adventure continues. We said to ourselves in the locker room that to live a magnificent experience together, we had to be united and be one," Giroud said.
"We were able to find the right words in the locker room, we have a great group of friends, it shows on the field. This team is rewarded for its efforts."
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot concurred, adding: "It makes me happy, you have to leave the pitch without regret, that's what I try to do at every match, as long as it lasts.
"Above all, we must insist on solidarity and unity in this team, that's what makes us strong. If we continue like this, we can do great things."
Kylian Mbappe matched a 64-year World Cup record set by Brazil great Pele after bagging a brace in France's 3-1 victory over Poland in Sunday's last-16 tie.
On the day team-mate Olivier Giroud passed Thierry Henry to become France's all-time top goalscorer, team-mate Mbappe continued to burnish his own legacy.
With his two goals – both excellent strikes delivered with poise through a strained Polish defence – Mbappe has further written his name into World Cup history at Qatar 2022.
He now has five goals in the knockout stages of the competition, when factoring in the three he netted for the tournament winners at Russia 2018.
At 23 years and 349 days, it makes him the youngest player to reach that number after Brazil legend Pele, who bagged as many during the Selecao's victorious Sweden 1958 campaign, aged 17 years and 249 days.
Mbappe now moves to nine goals in all World Cup fixtures, pulling him one clear of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be in action with Portugal against Switzerland on Tuesday.
It also sees him match Lionel Messi, who nabbed his first-ever knockout goal at the competition during Argentina's 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday.
With just a four-goal gap to Just Fontaine's France competition record of 13, Mbappe could conceivably catch his compatriot during the rest of his stay in Qatar, though he remains seven off Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16.
Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden have been chosen to support Harry Kane in England's World Cup last 16 clash with Senegal.
It means Marcus Rashford, the scorer of two goals in England's 3-0 win against Wales in their final group game, has to settle for a place on the bench alongside Jack Grealish. Raheem Sterling was unavailable as he is dealing with a family matter.
Jordan Henderson retains his place in midfield alongside Declan Rice, with Jude Bellingham continuing in a more advanced role.
Kyle Walker starts at right-back ahead of Kieran Trippier at Al Bayt Stadium.
Idrissa Gueye misses out for Senegal due to suspension.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou says Spain will force his side to raise their level after they reached the last 16 of the World Cup for just the second time.
The Atlas Lions reached the knockout rounds after an unbeaten Group F campaign in which they held 2018 finalists Croatia to a draw and shocked Belgium, before sealing top spot with victory over Canada.
Their reward is a tie with La Roja, themselves reeling from the surprise of qualifying second out of Group E after Japan snatched victory against them in their final game, in the process eliminating Germany.
While his team have already written their place in national sporting folklore, Bounou knows that something truly special is on the line when the pair meet in Al Rayyan on Tuesday.
"We've already made history by reaching the last 16, but we want more," he stated. "To eliminate Spain, that would create history in this World Cup, and in our country's footballing story.
"We want to make our people happy. We are thoroughly prepared. We have got better and better with each passing game, and I'm sure we'll be in good shape."
Amid a World Cup that has already delivered shock results, Morocco's victory over Belgium remains a major one – but Bounou, who plays his club career in LaLiga with Sevilla, knows Luis Enrique's side will be a different beast.
"Spain will force us to be at our best," he added. "It's a very competitive game, one which will come down to the finer details. We have to be prepared for that."
Thomas Muller needs time to decide his international future after Germany's early World Cup exit, the Bayern Munich star said on Sunday.
A surprise defeat to Japan in Germany's opening game in Qatar was followed by a 1-1 draw with Spain, with elimination confirmed despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rice in their final group match.
It represented the second group-stage elimination in a row for Germany at the World Cup, having fallen at the same hurdle when defending their title in Russia four years ago.
Muller heavily hinted at retirement from Germany duty after the team's latest elimination, and he has now stated he has begun the process of dealing with the events.
Muller posted a lengthy message on Instagram that read: "The sting is brutally deep, felt deeper than usual.
"It was a wave of emotions. Anticipation, ambition, politics, rejection, opening defeat, hope and recognition after game 2, then with our first tournament victory at the same time the elimination and therefore the complete disaster."
Muller, now 33, was a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014 and has scored 44 goals in 121 appearances for the national team.
He said of this World Cup disappointment: "It's more opaque than usual, there are more contradictions. It's more difficult at this World Cup to filter and interpret what you've experienced correctly. How to evaluate the achievements and results?
"The big question in life: what happened? Despite all the experience with great successes and also crushing defeats, I will need some time this time to organise everything.
"A big thank-you goes out to everyone who has supported us as a team and myself personally over the last few weeks – even in difficult moments! See you soon."
Mauricio Pochettino insists Kylian Mbappe is not a difficult player to coach and believes the Paris Saint-Germain and France forward will learn to "manage himself" as he matures.
Pochettino spent 18 months working with Mbappe before leaving the Parc des Princes in July, leading the Parisian giants to the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
However, much of Pochettino's time at PSG was marred by reports of rifts between high-profile players, while some claiming the club gave Mbappe excessive influence over their strategy when he rejected a move to Real Madrid to sign a new three-year contract in May.
Asked whether managing Mbappe had been challenging, Pochettino told the BBC: "He's 23 and already won the World Cup, he's an amazing talent.
"The problem is sometimes you need to manage yourself because we are talking about a top three, top five best player in the world.
"It's not easy for him to manage himself because he's not mature enough, he's still a child.
"But I think he's doing well. Sometimes people talk too much, but I don't think it's like this."
The prolific Mbappe scored a sublime double in France's 3-0 World Cup round of 16 win over Poland on Sunday and is leading the race for the Golden Boot with five goals.
Mbappe recorded 60 goal contributions in 46 appearances under Pochettino last season (39 goals, 21 assists) – more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.
Olivier Giroud scored his 52nd goal for France to become his country’s all-time top scorer and Kylian Mbappe added two more as they beat Poland 3-1 in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday.
Giroud's 44th-minute strike at Al Thumama Stadium put him ahead of fellow former Arsenal and Les Bleus forward Thierry Henry for France.
Mbappe doubled the advantage for Didier Deschamps' men and added another before full-time to move two goals clear as the tournament's top scorer in Qatar.
Poland had earlier put up a fight against the reigning world champions and scored a last-kick consolation after Robert Lewandoski converted a retaken penalty.
A bright start from France was low on clear chances, though Giroud should have had his goal earlier but could not divert Ousmane Dembele's low cross from the right into the net.
Poland had opportunities of their own in the first half and were somehow denied in the 38th minute when Bartosz Bereszynski's cut-back from the left found Piotr Zielinski, who hit his shot straight at Hugo Lloris, before his follow-up was also blocked and then Jakub Kaminski saw his effort stopped by Raphael Varane.
Giroud had his moment just before the break when some neat passing around the box led to Mbappe playing a quick pass into the striker, who finished well past former Arsenal team-mate Wojciech Szczesny.
The 36-year-old had the ball in the net again just before the hour with a spectacular overhead kick, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Szczesny.
Mbappe struck with 16 minutes remaining to ultimately seal the win, with nice work again from Giroud leading to Dembele finding Mbappe to the left of the penalty area, before the Paris Saint-Germain star curled the ball high past Szczesny into the near post.
The Golden Boot leader put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time, again receiving the ball to the left of the penalty area before placing it expertly into the top-right corner of the net.
Poland were awarded a last-minute penalty after a VAR check for handball against Dayot Upamecano, and despite seeing his first effort saved by Hugo Lloris, Lewandowski sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with his second attempt after Lloris was found to be off his line for the first.
Olivier Giroud scores goals, and this is what he has done across his career.
On Sunday, Giroud proved his timeless finishing qualities again when he overtook the great Thierry Henry to become France's all-time record goalscorer.
His first-half strike against Poland made it 52 goals in the shirt of Les Bleus, writing himself into the history books as France continued their defence of the World Cup in Qatar.
It is not something that many would have predicted years ago, with Giroud respected to a point, but never really being mentioned in the same breath as some of France's other attacking talent.
Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and even Antoine Griezmann often steal the headlines where the national team is concerned.
Giroud is considered to be a less glamorous name, which is quite the dichotomy considering there is a strong argument the Milan striker has the most impressive hair in world football.
The numbers do not lie, though, and the 36-year-old now stands alone atop the scoring charts for the world champions. Above Henry, Platini, Griezmann, Trezeguet, and so on.
After making a name for himself when leading Montpellier in their shock Ligue 1 title win in 2011-12, scoring 21 goals in 36 games, he made the move to Arsenal.
Giroud's time in the Premier League had ups and downs, but he still notched 105 goals for the Gunners in his five and a half seasons there, before moving across London to Chelsea and scoring another 39 in three and a half years at Stamford Bridge.
After heading to Serie A and Milan, there were still those left unconvinced by Giroud, though he has continued to score in Italy as he hit 11 in 29 league games in his debut season, helping the Rossoneri to win their first Scudetto since 2010-11.
He has another nine in 19 games in all competitions at club level this season, and has carried that form into the World Cup.
When the injured Benzema was confirmed to be out of Qatar 2022, there was panic among France fans as this year's Ballon d'Or winner would not be there to help them defend their title from Russia 2018.
However, Benzema also wasn't there in Russia. Giroud was.
His presence up front may not have brought Giroud any goals in that tournament, or even any shots on target – somewhat remarkably from 546 minutes on the pitch – but he more than played his part.
Giroud was a perfect foil for the teenage Mbappe, who thrived working off the big man's hold-up play, as did Griezmann as France went on to lift the World Cup for the second time, with Giroud creating seven chances from open play and recording one assist.
This time, though, Giroud seems more focused on being the main man in front of goal, and he is already putting himself in the discussion for the Golden Boot, with the record-breaking strike being his third in Qatar.
He may never be in the running for the Ballon d'Or, and is unlikely to be on many people's lists when selecting the all-time best French players.
But with the 52nd goal coming in his 117th game at international level, there is no denying that Giroud scores goals, and as of now, more than anyone else in France's history.
Olivier Giroud etched his name into the France history books as he became Les Bleus' all-time top scorer after netting against Poland at the World Cup.
The Milan striker equalled Thierry Henry's 51-goal record with a brace in a 4-1 win over Australia in his nation's World Cup opener, leaving him one shy of the outright benchmark.
That made Giroud, aged 36 years and 53 days, the second-oldest player to score a double at the World Cup, after Roger Milla, who did so in 1990 for Cameroon aged 38.
Giroud claimed the record outright with the opening goal in the round-of-16 clash against Poland, latching onto Kylian Mbappe's pass to fire Les Bleus ahead.
The former Chelsea and Arsenal striker would likely have not started for Didier Deschamps' side if it had not been for pre-tournament injuries to Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku.
Instead, Giroud and Kylian Mbappe have been tasked with carrying the attacking burden as France aim to defend their World Cup crown.
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