FIFA's plan to have 48 teams playing in the World Cup has begun. And while some teams will be glad with the news, some others will be left wondering if it's all about business.
Football's governing body revealed the amount of teams each confederation would have for the 2026 edition of the tournament, giving Europe sixteen spots for the tournament. Surprisingly, Africa and Asia would almost see their current spots duplicated, with nine and eight teams from each confederation playing in the global tournament.
Both American confederations, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, would have six teams in the competition, while Oceania would finally have one spot allocated to them, rather than having to participate in a playoff as the only chance to make it to the tournament.
Under this system, there would still be two spots left to be played for. FIFA's current proposal states that a six-team play-off would be needed, with one team from all confederations excluding UEFA, plus one more team from the region hosting the tournament. There would be two seeded teams, based on their FIFA ranking.
Here's how FIFA would give away the slots for the 2026 World Cup.
And here's FIFA's play-off proposal.
