Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, has accomplished in his goal of enlarging the World Cup since assuming office in 2016. The World Cup has grown by 16 teams, which is the most ever. The finals began with 13 teams in the inaugural tournament in 1930 and stayed a 16-team affair from 1934 through 1978 until growing to 24 in 1982.
African and Asian nations will stand to gain the most from the expansion of 48 teams. Africa will earn nine qualifying spots for the finals (up from five in the previous arrangement), while Asia will nearly quadruple to eight (from 4.5 slots). Oceania will be given an automatic qualifying berth instead of having to fight in a playoff for a World Cup spot.
‘Heaven-sent’ opportunity
Sunday Oliseh, a former Nigerian international, described it as ‘heaven sent’ for Africans. I’ve always believed that Africa should send more representatives because the more you play, the better your prospects are. Approximately one billion people live on this continent. It’s intriguing to us to see a bigger, grander World Cup since we have 200 million people in my nation’.
For some of the region’s powerhouses, the growing African contingent is good news. During qualifying, Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria were all forced from the Qatar finals. In addition, South America will expand from 4.5 to 6 qualifying spots, increasing its presence from 13 to 16 teams in Europe. CONCACAF will have three more berths available after Canada, the United States, and Mexico qualified as hosts, for a total of six teams from the region.
A playoff will determine two more positions. We’ll have to wait and see what this expansion implicate for the tournament structure. FIFA previously said that it preferred 16 groups of three teams, with the top two teams from each group moving on to a 32-team knockout stage. The success of the four-team group first phase in Qatar, where numerous groups battled to the bitter end, has forced a reassessment. Friday, Infantino told reporters that FIFA now intends to ‘revisit’ the three-team group structure.
The most likely option for 2026 is 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams and the eight best third-place teams moving on to the knockout stages. That format however would mean 104 matches — up from the 64 in Qatar — while a team reaching the final would be required to play eight games.
Profit boost
The number of venues for the finals will double, from eight to 11, with three in Mexico and two in Canada. All of the US games are taking place in venues used by NFL teams, with Los Angeles and New York the main contenders. FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the North American leg of the 2018 World Cup will be held in the United States. The bulk of the games — including all matches from the knockout rounds onwards — will be played in America. FIFA is studying basing the teams in regional clusters to minimise travel for fans.
As a result of the enlarged World Cup, Infantino claims FIFA anticipates a significant gain in income. The predicted rise in revenue from the cycle ending in 2022’s $7.5 billion to the four-year cycle leading up to 2026 is $11 billion. According to Infantino, ‘We are confident in football’s power. We are certain that the game will have a significant influence. Both here and in North America, it has been enormous’.
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