It took several months of discussions, but in the end the FIFA World Cup will change its format for the 2026 tournament. Instead of 32 teams as we know it, now the competition will feature 48 teams and a whole new format.
The current Fifa proposal will reformat the World Cup so that the opening stages feature 16 groups of three teams. Each team will play each other and the top two will progress to a knockout round with 32 sides. From that point on, the format will be a win-or-go-home.
Sure, it’s one fewer game during the group stage. But on the other side you get five matches where teams can’t speculate for a result. It’s going to add emotion to a tournament that needed a reform, as the same structure had been in place since 1998. It was time for a change, and FIFA understood that.
The proposed breakdown of qualified teams would be a bit strange, though. Europe will jump to 16 teams (13 currently) and both Africa (from 5 to 9) and Asia (from 4.5 to 8.5) will have big increases. South America will have 6 teams and the CONCACAF region will now have 6.5 instead of the previous 3.5. Last but not least, Oceania will get a full berth, which means New Zealand could become a regular fixture in the tournament in the coming years.
It will be odd to see nine African side and up to nine Asian teams. However, that comes with the territory of having more teams in the tournament. The quality has increased on both regions, and we know they can be a threat on any given day.
On the other hand, South America will potentially have 60% of their teams in the tournament so we’ll see some of the best players in the world in action. But for teams like Peru and Venezuela this will also mean more chances to qualify on a regular basis. The same goes for some Central American sides like Honduras, Panamá, Trinidad and Tobago. These sides are inferior to Mexico, USA and Costa Rica, but now they’ll have more chances to play against top competition.
Some fans will like it and some will hate it. But the reality is that the tournament needed some changes, and it will be good for the sport. Who knows? Maybe with more sides in the competition will see another team lift the trophy for the first time.