The original plan for the 2026 edition had a total of 80 matches but the decision to increase the number of games to 104 was approved by Fifa's council at a meeting on Tuesday.
Should either club win the Champions League again, a club ranking calculation based on sporting criteria will be used to determine which other team will qualify.
Fifa said clubs will have to release players for the World Cup from May 25, 2026 unless they are in a major final — such as the Champions League showpiece — for which clubs will have until May 30 to allow players to join their national teams. The Professional Footballers' Association said they were worried about “physical fatigue and mental burnout” due to the congested schedule with its CEO Maheta Molango saying the football calendar needs a “complete reset”.
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