FIFA have announced that the changes in the format of the World Cup will take effect from 2026
According to their official website, the decision was passed unanimously after the governing body held a third meeting in Zurich over the 9th and 10th of this month. In an official statement posted on their website, FIFA said :
“The FIFA Council has unanimously decided in favour of expanding the FIFA World Cup™ to a 48-team competition as of the 2026 edition. World football’s supervisory and strategic body held its third meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 9 and 10 January, and decided on a new tournament format with the 48 national teams split into 16 groups of three.”
“The top two teams from each group will then advance to a 32-team knockout stage. The new 48-team competition format has been drawn up in such a way that there is no reduction in the overall number of rest days and a guaranteed maximum of seven matches for the teams reaching the final, while the current 32-day tournament duration is kept, so as not to increase the length of time for which clubs have to release their players.”
They went on to state that the decision was taken after a thorough study that detailed the impact it would have on, among other things, competition quality and football development. The discussions regarding the change in format were already underway in October last year, and the changes were widely expected to be passed even before this announcement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures while speaking during a press briefing closing a meeting of the executive council on January 10, 2017. FIFA’s ruling council on January 10, 2017 unanimously approved an expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in 2026 (Photo courtesy MICHAEL BUHOLZER/AFP/Getty Images)
The move has been met with little resistance, especially since it does not affect the length of the tournament or reduce the number of rest days for players. Managers from all over the world – including Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho – have supported the change given that their club’s will not be adversely affected by the change.
However, there was some controversy as the European Club Association vehemently opposed FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plans when he announced them. The ECA felt that Infantino’s proposed changes were a result of a political motive rather than a sporting one, and were not pleased once the decision was passed.
The new format means that there will be a total of 80 games. Currently, in the 32-team schedule, 64 matches are played overall. European places at the competition will likely rise from 13 to 16 and Africa and Asia could have as many as nine teams each. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil they had five and four teams respectively. FIFA could decide by May how many entries each continent has.
The other major decision regarding 2026 – who will host the event – is not scheduled for consideration until 2020. United States are said to be the early favourites, and are plotting a bid that could either feature them as solo hosts or joining up with either Mexico or Canada to host the tournament.
