The 2026 World Cup expands from 32 to 48 teams, which means several updates to the World Cup Bracket format on Splash Sports. Here's a summary of everything that's changing so commissioners and members know what to expect.

The Group Stage has grown from 8 groups to 12 groups (A–L), each with 4 teams. The setup and scoring process for commissioners remains the same — there are simply more groups to configure.

The maximum points available in the Group Stage has also increased. For example, if 1 point is awarded per correct ranking, the maximum is now 48 points (previously 32) — reflecting 4 correct rankings across all 12 groups.

With 32 teams in the knockout bracket (up from 16), a brand new Round of 32 has been added. The default point values across all rounds have been updated:

Note: Commissioners can adjust these point values — the above are the new defaults.

The tiebreaker prompt has been updated to reflect the larger knockout bracket. Members now enter their guess for the total number of goals scored across all 31 knockout stage games (up from 15 in 2022). The Round of 32 adds 16 new matches to the knockout stage.

The Knockout Stage section of the leaderboard now shows 5 columns in the "Wins by Round" sub-header (previously 4), reflecting the addition of the Round of 32. Possible Points calculations have also been updated to account for all 5 knockout rounds.

Note: If the Group Stage is toggled off by the commissioner, the Group Stage columns remain hidden — no change to that behavior.

The World Cup Bracket will be available for new contest creation in the create a contest flow starting May 21, 2026. It will appear under the name "World Cup Bracket."

Questions? Email support@splashsports.com.