World Cup set to be expanded to 40 teams from 2026 as FIFA reforms add 32 extra games over additional week - The World Cup is expected to be expanded to 40 teams from 2026
- Eight places will be added to the current format in longer tournament
- The first phase will consist of eight groups of five with 32 extra games
- Proposals were surprise part of FIFA ExCo committee reforms in Zurich
- Disgraced UEFA President Michel Platini first mooted idea back in 2013
The now-banned UEFA President Michel Platini first mooted the idea of a 40-team World Cup back in 2013
A 40-team World Cup is now expected to be staged in 2026 following the FIFA reforms to be announced later on Thursday. This will see eight groups of five in the initial stage of the tournament leading to an extra 32 matches in the group stage and an extra week of competition. This will cause massive extra organisational headaches for the host county that will be chosen by the whole 209-country FIFA congress for the first time - probably in 2019. The enlarged World Cup decision, which doesn't have to be ratified by Congress as it is not included in the FIFA statutes, has surprisingly come out of the reform process whose recommendations were put to the FIFA ExCo on Wednesday.
Ironically the idea of a 40-team World Cup was first mooted by banned UEFA President Michel Platini in 2013. And it has also been recently promoted by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, who sat on the reform committee, during his campaign for the FIFA presidency. The extra eight World Cup places will be seen as a sweetener for the FIFA Congress to accept all the proposed reforms in which it is included.
Certainly it will go down well outside Europe where it is felt UEFA, who will have 14 representatives at the 2018 World Cup (13 plus host county Russia), have a disproportionate number of places. Currently Africa have five, Asia 4.5, Europe 13, North, Central America and Caribbean 3.5, Oceania 0.5, South America 4.5, plus the host nation.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3344109/World-Cup-set-expanded-40-teams-2026-FIFA-reforms-add-eight-places.html [ 此帖被羅力亞在2017-01-10 17:59重新編輯 ]
