What’s the story?
FIFA have just approved the plan for a World Cup with 48 countries, instead of 32 countries from 2026 onwards. A tweet from FIFA Media officially confirmed this and understandably, a number of people around the world are delighted with the move.
In case you didn’t know...
The idea for a 48-team World Cup had been floating around for a considerable amount of time and it has now been confirmed after FIFA officials met in Zurich, Switzerland.
Back in December, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the expanded World Cup would bring about "development of football around the world" and that "there is nothing bigger in terms of boosting football in a country than participating in a World Cup".
Also Read: How FIFA's plan for a 48-team World Cup will allow teams to cheat without breaking the rules
It has been a move that many high profile names in the football world have been supporting as well, with Carles Puyol and Jose Mourinho most recently saying that they are both in favour of such a move, highlighting that it would bring the world a little closer through football.
Since 1998, the format consisted of 32 teams with 8 groups of 4 teams each, with 2 teams progressing to the knock-out rounds.
The heart of the matter
FIFA officials have discussed the prospect of expanding the tournament, exploring different options – the current 32 team format, two 48 team plans and two 40 team models as well. It looks like they have narrowed down to selecting the 48 team option that will have 16 groups of three teams each.
This means that only two teams will qualify per group while one will not proceed. In 2026, the total number of games played will go up to 80 instead of 64.
What Next?
It looks like the world is set to have an extended party in the form of the FIFA World Cup, the most watched and recognised football event in the world. As per a report by the Independent, FIFA is set to earn an expected extra $1 billion through this new 48 team format.
However, Infantino has stressed that the move was not made purely based on financial motives and in fact for the overall development of the game around the world.
The venue for the 2026 World Cup is yet to be decided and will not be announced in 2020. The next two editions of the tournament will take place in Russia and then Qatar.
Infantino will brief the media after the discussion on a live stream on FIFA.com and the next meeting of the FIFA Council is scheduled to be held in Manama, Bahrain, on 9 May 2017 ahead of the 67th FIFA Congress.
Sportskeeda’s Take
This move is perhaps one of the best decisions by football’s governing body in recent years. It’s a win-win for everybody – the organisation and the nations participating. As a result of this move, diverse countries from around the world, who have never graced the competition before will be given a chance to, and therefore for a month and a half, those countries will immerse themselves in the FIFA World Cup experience.
Also Read: Twitter reacts as FIFA announce plans to expand World Cup to 48 teams
It will, without a doubt, bring the world together for that amount of time and will lead to further development of the game in those nations. In perhaps one of the most exciting moves by FIFA to date, we might finally get to see India playing at the football World Cup.
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