FIFA will reconsider 2026 World Cup format after best of the tournament,FIFA is to reconsider the format of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, says President Gianni Infantino.
The number of teams for the competition will increase from 32 to 48 and will be divided into 16 groups of three, with the top two progressing to the last 32.
Infantino said the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would look after the success of the four team in groups.
We will have to re-think the format or at least re-discuss it. This is something that will definitely be on the agenda for the next meeting.
The group stages in Qatar included some exciting final games as the countries attempted to secure top-two positions to qualify for the last 16.
A four-team group format has been used since the men’s World Cup expanded to 32 teams in 1998, with the top two going through to the knockout stages.
Best World Cup ever – Infantino said
Infantino was speaking at a press conference in Qatar after attending a FIFA Council meeting.
With the third-place play-off and the final, they said that 3.27 million spectators attended the games, compared to a total of 3.3 million at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“Infantine thanks to everyone involved, Qatar, all the volunteers for making this the best World Cup ever.”
The matches were played without any incident. It has been a very pleasing atmosphere.
- In this world cup 2022 there is a new thing in football history that an African team Morocco reach in semifinals first time.
- We also had a woman “Stephanie Fraparte” match referee for the first time.
- It has been an incredible success, reaching five billion in terms of viewing figures. Meeting fans from the Arab world, it has been very important for the future of all of us that’s amazing.
- Several European countries had planned to wear OneLove armbands during matches to promote diversity and inclusion, but did not do so due to possible sanctions from FIFA, the world football governing body.
- Hansi Flick says Germany players covered their mouths during the team photo before their World Cup opener against Japan to send the message that FIFA is silencing the teams.
- FIFA threatened players with bookings for wearing Onelove armbands during games in Qatar.
- Captains from seven European nations were set to wear Onelove band to promote diversity and inclusion.
No disciplinary action will be taken against Germany.
It was a signal, a message we wanted to send out. We wanted to send the message that FIFA is silencing us, said head coach Flick after his team’s defeated by 2–1.
There are 211 football teams, not heads of state, and their fans want to enjoy football. That is what we are here for. I believe we are defending values, defending human rights, defending the rights of everyone in FIFA. World Cup.
Part of legacy of exploitation and shame
Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, along with its stance on same-sex relationships and its human rights record, were among the main controversies affecting the build-up to the World Cup.
Kai Havertz, a forward for Chelsea and Germany, felt that making the gesture “was the proper thing to do.” It is undoubtedly crucial for us to make a statement like this, he added. We discussed the game and what we could do, and in my opinion, that was the correct thing to do to demonstrate to the public that we made an effort to assist wherever we could and that FIFA did not make things simple for us.
Human Rights Watch has slammed the chief executive of the Qatar World Cup for making the offensive statement that “death is a natural part of life” in response to a question regarding the death of a migrant worker during the event.
The 2022 World Cup would be concluding with no commitment on the side of FIFA or Qatari authorities to address violations, including unexplained deaths that have plagued the tournament over the past 12 years, according to Human Rights Watch. The suffering of migrant workers made this possible.
FIFA has been urged to create a compensation fund for migrant workers and their families as well as a migrant workers’ centre in Doha by human rights organisations and many football associations.
They will leave behind a legacy of exploitation and shame if FIFA and Qatar don’t offer compensation for the largely unresolved injustices experienced by immigrants who produce and deliver championships. Human Rights Watch senior researcher Rothana Begum remarked.
We want to carry this knowledge into the future so that we can help and use the World Cup to improve people’s lives and the lives of their families.