The expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup has transformed the group stage, giving third-place teams new hope while creating more drama than ever before.

Here's a complete guide to penalty kicks in the World Cup, including penalties during regulation and the differences from the penalty shootouts that decide knockout games.

The FIFA World Cup 2026's expanded 48-team format has significantly increased the financial stakes, with every knockout victory unlocking millions of dollars in additional prize money as teams chase a share of FIFA's record $871 million payout.

Iker Casillas, a veteran World Cup expert, thinks making a radical change to the current match format is a great idea. Iker Casillas sparked a massive debate during the 2026 World Cup by proposing a radical change to how matches are structured .

The newly bloated 48-team World Cup format has plenty of problems, but perhaps the biggest of all has shown itself over the past two days, and it was entirely in Fifa's control. Independent writers Miguel Delaney,

Germany and the Netherlands are among the first high-profile casualties of the revamped World Cup format. Two of football's most decorated nations have been sent packing from the tournament after losing on penalties to Paraguay and Morocco,

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is entering its decisive moments of the group stage with teams battling for a place in the knockout rounds. Under the tournament's expanded 48-team format, qualification for knockout rounds is no longer reserved just for the group winners and runners-up.

Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz has criticized the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, expressing his fear that the move risks turning it into a "vulgar, ordinary competition."