FIFA to reconsider format of 2026 World Cup
The number of teams in the competition will rise from 32 to 48
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that the international governing body will reevaluate the format of the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The number of teams in the competition will rise from 32 to 48, and they will be split up into 16 groups of three, with the top two teams moving on to the final 32.
After the "success" of the four-team groups in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Infantino stated, it would be taken into consideration.
"Here the groups of four have been absolutely incredible. Until the last minute of the last match you would not know who goes through. We have to revisit or at least re-discuss the format. This is something that will certainly be on the agenda in the next meeting," said Infantino.
The group stages in Qatar saw some thrilling championship matches as nations competed for the top two spots to advance to the round of 16.
Since the men's FIFA World Cup's expansion to 32 teams in 1998, the four-team group system has been in use, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds.
'Best World Cup ever'
Infantino termed the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, which is in its final stage "the best ever".
With the third-place play-off and final to go, he said 3.27 million spectators had attended the games compared with an overall 3.3 million at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
"Thanks to everyone involved, Qatar, all the volunteers to make this the best World Cup ever," said Infantino. "Matches have been played without incidents. It has been a very joyful atmosphere. There is something happening when we talk about football becoming truly global, with an African team [Morocco] reaching the semi-final for the first time.
"We also had a woman [Stephanie Frappart] referee a match for the first time. It has been an incredible success, approaching five billion in terms of viewing figures. The fans meeting the Arab world, it has been very important for the future of all of us."
The mega final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be staged at the Lusail Stadium when defending champions France takes on Argentina on Sunday.
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