FIFA members approved Gianni Infantino’s proposal to expand the World Cup, starting with the 2026 edition, but how will it work and who will benefit?
It’s the first time since France ‘98 that changes have been made to the composition of a tournament that started with just 13 teams in 1930. Here’s what you need to know about the new format of world football’s showpiece event.
What has happened to the World Cup?
Next year’s tournament in Russia is still going ahead as a 32-team tournament, as is 2022, but in 2026, the format will change and 48 countries will take part in the World Cup, or if you’re into percentages, 23% of FIFA registered nations.
How will the new format work?
There were four different options available to expand the World Cup, but delegates voted overwhelmingly for Gianni Infantino’s preference for 48 teams in 16 groups of three, followed by a 32-team knockout stage.
The format will increase the number of games from 64 to 80 and the tournament will be completed inside the current 32-day schedule.
Why did FIFA want change?
Infantino said that his main motivation for expanding the tournament is to provide more nations a chance of experiencing a World Cup and to grow and develop football.
Critics argue however that the expansion was driven by money, greed and assurances of future votes. FIFA predict that revenue could rise to £5.3 billion under the 48-team format, as opposed to the £4.5 billion for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Who stands to benefit?
African nations are set to benefit with an extra four qualifying places and there are likely to be six South American teams who automatically qualify. It is expected that there’ll be an additional three European teams participating in the new format.
Who’s for and who’s against?
The English FA voted in favour of the expansion, unsurprising considering David Gill’s prominent role at FIFA, while the Scottish FA also supported the decision.
However, the plans weren’t met with universal acclaim, with the European Club Association heavily criticising the decision, basing it on “political reasons rather than sporting ones”, while Spain’s La Liga said that they weren’t consulted on the plans. Germany were the sole critics of the World Cup reform amongst European football nations.
What’s still to be decided?
There are rumours that penalty shootouts could be brought in to decide all drawn games, therefore reducing the risk of teams colluding in their final games.
The other decision is which nation will host the event. The expansion is likely to exclude a vast number of countries, so any suitors would either have to co-host the competition or have the relevant infrastructure already in place.