Since 1998, there have been 32 teams at the World Cup. Previously, there were 24 teams between 1982 and 1994, 16 teams between 1934 and 1978, thirteen in the inaugural 1930 tournament. While it's been expected for a few years now that the 2026 rendition of the tournament will feature 48 teams, there have been recent talks of reversing course as the world realizes that 32 might be the sweet spot for quality of football. So assume 48 for now, but we'll see where this all takes us!