Fifa today voted to expand the World Cup from its current format of 32 teams. There were five proposals on the table, from which Fifa’s 37-member council voted unanimously to increase the tournament to 48 nations. The expansion plan was led by new Fifa president Gianni Infantino. You can see their motivation, their own report suggests revenue will increase to £5.29bn – producing a rise in profits of £521m.
But while Fifa have given it the go ahead, many fans are unconvinced it’s a good move. Here’s what you need to know…
The expansion will kick in from the 2026 World Cup. The bulk of the additional 16 places to go to Africa and Asia. Europe could get an additional three places on top of their current 13. This isn’t being decided today though. Format will see 16 groups of three countries, with the top two advancing to the knock-out phase. Number of games increases from 64 to 80. Tournament will still last 32 days and no team will play more than seven matches – as is the case currently
The pros
More teams will make the World Cup more inclusive and more diverse. It will see the involvement of some fresh sides that have the capacity to shake things up a bit. Thinking back to Euro 2016, unfancied Iceland and Wales were two of the most enthralling sides involved. We could see something similar in 2026.
The expansion will lead to more games, which for football fans is no bad thing.
More shocks are virtually inevitable, and who doesn’t like a shock (unless your country is on the losing end of it of course).
There could be more drama early on with the three-team group format making defeat virtually unthinkable. The opening games of tournaments tend to be a bit cagey but this change could open them up.
The qualification process for the tournament should be made more interesting with more teams in with a realistic shot of making it through.
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