Will FIFA increase the number of teams to participate in the 2026 world cup?

[Obari]

The 2026 FIFA world cup tournament is to be hosted by the united state, Canada and Mexico which is expected to give room to the participation of smaller teams who couldn't make it to Qatar, the next world cup will be the biggest as FIFA is expected to take a leap from a 32 team field to a 48 teams.

Do you think it is a good development for FIFA to increase the team field from 32 to 48?

[1714490509]

1714490509

[1714490509]

1714490509

[QueenVera]

No.
I don't think FIFA can field 32 competitive teams at a tournament just at once. From where are they expected to get  new 16 teams to play for the tournament?
But if this must happen, then all I see  is that we will have eight European teams(which is half of the new teams already coming from Europe) and the other eight teams to Africa, Asia, North and Central America and South America. Right now Europe has too many qualifiers, Asia isn’t ready, North/Central America isn’t ready, South America cannot field any more quality teams and that leaves Africa, from where at least four or five of the teams should really originate.
I also see Africa coming more on board if this works

[slapper]

I'm delighted about the new format since more teams means more matches and more chances for smaller countries to join the world's biggest carnival. However, I have worries. With the epidemic, the next five years are unpredictable. Will the virus be contained by then? A vaccine? These unknowns scare me about the competition. If a new disease is about to break out, more teams and fans make it tougher to contain.

I'm also considering finances. More matches and teams are thrilling, but many people won't be able to follow them. Traveling, lodging, and tickets are expensive. This may hinder tournament enjoyment for some.

I'm enthusiastic about the new structure, but we need to address these issues to ensure that everyone can enjoy the event, regardless of their financial circumstances. However, USA-Can-Mexico and FIFA will resolve all issues

[klidex]

The 2026 FIFA world cup tournament is to be hosted by the united state, Canada and Mexico which is expected to give room to the participation of smaller teams who couldn't make it to Qatar, the next world cup will be the biggest as FIFA is expected to take a leap from a 32 team field to a 48 teams.

Do you think it is a good development for FIFA to increase the team field from 32 to 48?

It seems that FIFA will not do this because it will only waste time.
It's true that adding more teams to the next World Cup will be a spread event.
We as football fans and sports bettors will also be very happy with this plan because we can watch and bet on the World Cup a little longer compared to previous events.
But the national team in a small country will not be able to fight or keep up with the national team that has been participating in the match for a long time. So why does FIFA have to increase the number of teams at the World Cup if the added team is unable to compete with other teams.

[maydna]

We might think the 2026 FIFA world cup will not have additional teams from other countries. But if FIFA wants to increase the number of countries and include it in the list of countries participating in the next world cup, we can't do anything about it. And that could add to the excitement of the next World Cup because every country will have a higher level of competition than before. And countries that have participated in the previous World Cup must try harder because the more teams that will participate in the next World Cup will provide an even bigger challenge. So we'll see what will happen in the next World Cup.

[Chripto]

It is a matter of perspective whether increasing the number of teams participating in the FIFA World Cup is a good development or not.
On one hand, it allows for more countries to participate and compete at the highest level of international football, which can lead to more excitement and interest in the tournament. Additionally, it can also provide more opportunities for smaller nations to showcase their talent on the global stage and potentially boost the growth of the sport in those countries.
On the other hand, it can also dilute the level of competition and make the tournament less meaningful for the best teams in the world. It can also lead to more low-quality matches, as some teams may not be as competitive as others. And also the tournament will be longer than before.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

Increasing number of teams will be good for football development in all continents and those teams who were not present in fifa in past can participate now . There are number of countries who deserve to participate in fifa but never did so . Hopefully in 2026 we will see new teams,  new countries and new faces in games and you never know which team emerge out as a good team for football future .

[Daniel91]

There are no justified sporting reasons for such a decision, but only reasons of a financial nature, and that is precisely why I am sure that FIFA will make such a decision 
For a very long time, FIFA doesn't care about football or football players, they are only interested in making money, and with more national teams in the world cup, the income from the competition increases.
I don't think anyone needs to be overly explained that because of such a decision, the quality of the competition will drop and that we will see more weak and boring matches.
After Qatar became the host of the World Cup in a very suspicious way and the previous president of FIFA ended up in prison for corruption, nothing can surprise me anymore 

[harapan]

It seems that FIFA will not do this because it will only waste time.
It's true that adding more teams to the next World Cup will be a spread event.
We as football fans and sports bettors will also be very happy with this plan because we can watch and bet on the World Cup a little longer compared to previous events.
But the national team in a small country will not be able to fight or keep up with the national team that has been participating in the match for a long time. So why does FIFA have to increase the number of teams at the World Cup if the added team is unable to compete with other teams.

Hoe do you mean?
It doesn't change anything. The only change is that more countries will be able to participate. The slots of the six different regions will be increased. Changing the format of the world cup from 32 to 48 is not something new. Originally the world cup started with just 8 teams in it them it was increased  to 24 in 1982 and then in 1998 it was increased to 32. So I don't get what all the fuss is about. I understand that FIFA is a controversial organization but they're just trying to get more countries to participate in the tournament.
The details of the format are still been discussed. It could be 16 groups of three teams or they could include a worst losers format like the Euro of 2016 where Portugal went on to win despite qualifying out of the group stage as worst losers.

[hosseinimr93]

The decision has been already made. Yes, we will see 48 teams in the next FIFA world cup. Visit the following link for more information.
Unanimous decision expands FIFA World Cup™ to 48 teams from 2026

But if this must happen, then all I see  is that we will have eight European teams(which is half of the new teams already coming from Europe) and the other eight teams to Africa, Asia, North and Central America and South America.

The number of European teams will increase by 3.
Number of teams per confederation in 2026 FIFA world cup will be as follows.

. AFC: 8.5 slots
· CAF: 9.5 slots
· CONCACAF: 6.5 slots
· CONMEBOL: 6.5 slots
· OFC: 1.5 slot
· UEFA: 16 slots

[klidex]

It seems that FIFA will not do this because it will only waste time.
It's true that adding more teams to the next World Cup will be a spread event.
We as football fans and sports bettors will also be very happy with this plan because we can watch and bet on the World Cup a little longer compared to previous events.
But the national team in a small country will not be able to fight or keep up with the national team that has been participating in the match for a long time. So why does FIFA have to increase the number of teams at the World Cup if the added team is unable to compete with other teams.

Hoe do you mean?
It doesn't change anything. The only change is that more countries will be able to participate. The slots of the six different regions will be increased. Changing the format of the world cup from 32 to 48 is not something new. Originally the world cup started with just 8 teams in it them it was increased  to 24 in 1982 and then in 1998 it was increased to 32. So I don't get what all the fuss is about. I understand that FIFA is a controversial organization but they're just trying to get more countries to participate in the tournament.
The details of the format are still been discussed. It could be 16 groups of three teams or they could include a worst losers format like the Euro of 2016 where Portugal went on to win despite qualifying out of the group stage as worst losers.

I don't think there is a need to increase the number of teams in the World Cup soccer event because there is already a selection in every continent so that there can be several groups that will be competed in to be able to choose and get which country's team is worthy and capable of competing in the World Cup.
So as for whether FIFA will increase the number of teams participating in this prestigious event, isn't it just a waste of time and I don't think there is any benefit either.

[Sweeperp]

I think fifa just wants to make more money on this, more matches more participants