The United States hosted its first World Cup in 1994.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soccer has changed dramatically in many ways since then \u2013 on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the US (with Mexico and Canada) gets set to host the mega-event once again, more than anything, the tournament\u2019s defining change since 1994 is its sheer scale-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This scale-up can be clearly quantified. The 1994 tournament featured 52 matches across 32 days with 24 teams. By contrast, the 2026 event (the first three-nation World Cup) will involve 78 matches in the US alone, over 39 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The competition\u2019s 48 teams are divided into 12 groups, with progression to the knockout stage awarded to the top two teams in each group along with the eight best third-placed teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of games, the tournament has doubled in size since 1994.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scale-up is not accidental. It has been driven by the twin forces of globalisation and commodification, alongside a deliberate strategy by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to both protect and extend football\u2019s commercial dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central to this has been expanding the tournament into non-traditional markets, most notably the US \u2013 the world\u2019s largest sports economy \u2013 thereby generating substantial financial returns and commercial interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Infantino and FIFA have faced sustained criticism in global media \u2013 ranging from controversial symbolic gestures involving Donald Trump to concerns over ticket pricing. But the broader outcome is clear: the World Cup has become more expansive and commercially powerful than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, FIFA has deepened its claim to global reach by incorporating smaller nations such as Cape Verde and Cura\u00e7ao, whose combined populations are well under one million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n