The FIFA Council has voted in Zurich to increase the number of teams partaking in the World Cup finals from 32 to 48. The new format will not be used at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in Russia and Qatar respectively. The 2026 World Cup, which is yet to be allocated to any country, will be the first to include the new policy. From then on, there will be 16 groups of three teams each. “The FIFA Council has unanimously voted for the World Cup to be extended to 48 teams from 2026,” the organisation revealed on Twitter.
The exact number of places for each confederation is yet to be determined. “I have also tried to draw attention to the fact that we need to concentrate hard on the question of how many places there are for teams,” DFB President Reinhard Grindel said ahead of today’s session in Zurich. “That is important for the nations in UEFA. When others have the chance to develop their football in Africa and Asia, that also has to be the case for the nations and associations that are part of UEFA.”
The FIFA Council has voted in Zurich to increase the number of teams partaking in the World Cup finals from 32 to 48. The new format will not be used at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in Russia and Qatar respectively. The 2026 World Cup, which is yet to be allocated to any country, will be the first to include the new policy. From then on, there will be 16 groups of three teams each. “The FIFA Council has unanimously voted for the World Cup to be extended to 48 teams from 2026,” the organisation revealed on Twitter.
The exact number of places for each confederation is yet to be determined. “I have also tried to draw attention to the fact that we need to concentrate hard on the question of how many places there are for teams,” DFB President Reinhard Grindel said ahead of today’s session in Zurich. “That is important for the nations in UEFA. When others have the chance to develop their football in Africa and Asia, that also has to be the case for the nations and associations that are part of UEFA.”
