FIFA has allotted new slots to different confederations for the 2026 World Cup
In a bid to generate more revenue and to make the confederations happier, FIFA decided to expand the number of teams in the World Cup from 32 to 48. This idea was the brainchild of ex-FIFA chief, Sepp Blatter. Gianni Infantino decided to go on with the idea as the response to this proposal was positive. To simplify the format, the number of teams were set at 48 instead of 40. The quality will surely decrease but at the same time, it will give the underdog nations to shine on the biggest stage. The Bureau of FIFA Council assembled in Zurich on Thursday to discuss the slot allocation. FIFA Ratification Council will look over the proposal on 9th May in Manama, Bahrain.
The proposed slot allocation:
Asian Football Confederation (AFC): 8 direct slots
Confederation of African Football (CAF): 9 direct slots
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL): 6 direct slots
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF): 6 direct slots
Oceania Football Confederation (OCF): 1 direct slot
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA): 16 slots
This makes up for the 46 spots from the 48 available. The other two teams will be selected via a play-off tournament. The playoff tournament will include six teams. One from each confederation except UEFA and a team from the confederation of the host country. The top two teams will be seeded. Further, the seeded teams will compete against the winners of the knockout matches between unseeded teams.
How can this benefit India
According to FIFA rankings, Iran, Korea, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Uzbekistan and Qatar will fill AFC’s direct slots. India is currently ranked 101st in the world, 11th in the AFC. They will have an opportunity to make it to the World Cup via the Asian qualifying tournament. The increased number of slots certainly helps India’s chances of featuring in the World Cup. In 1930, India made an unfortunate decision of playing in the Olympics rather than the FIFA World Cup. They have not had a chance to play in the finals again after that. The fact that Indian football is on the rise and consequently the national team currently lies in its highest ever rank. Thus, one can assume that this is the best chance India has qualify for the World Cup.
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