The format of the 2026 World Cup, which was planned to have 16 groups of three teams due to the expanded 48-team competition across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, may revert to the traditional four-team groups following the success of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where some groups produced thrilling final matches.

The decision is expected to be announced during the council meeting of Fifa, the governing body of world football, in Rwanda on March 16.

There are reports that there is an agreement among all parties that the four-team format should be retained, providing it does not extend the 'footprint' of the competition - which includes preparation time as well as the tournament itself.

"Groups of three sounded great but there are some issues," Concacaf president Victor Montagliani told the FT Business of Football Summit.

"Is it right that you qualify for a World Cup and a third of teams go home after two games?

"We do have to be responsible. There was a footprint of days for 2014 and 2018 and we can't go over that. We can't have a three-month World Cup."