how many games are played in world cup group stage

The World Cup group stage has 72 games in the 2026 format, with 48 teams split into 12 groups of 4 and each team playing 3 matches. That works out to 6 matches per group, or 72 total across all groups.

Quick breakdown

• 4 teams per group.
• Each team plays every other team once.
• That creates 6 matches in each group.
• 12 groups × 6 matches = 72 matches.

Extra note

For comparison, the 2022 World Cup group stage had 48 games because the tournament had 32 teams instead of 48.

TL;DR: 72 games in the World Cup group stage for the current 48-team format.