World Cup Expansion to 48 Teams (Update: FIFA Council Agrees 2026 Slot Allocation)

ECA chief Rummenigge warns clubs aren’t finished with opposition to 48-team World Cup

Rummenigge, who vehemently opposed the plan, is quoted in the German media as hinting the removal of players cannot be ruled out. Saying that expansion will “inevitably lead to a revolution,” Rummenigge added: “The big clubs and even leagues will perhaps ask us at some point: do we really need FIFA and its curious decisions, which at the end of the day only affect the football – and not serve football.”

Compared to $5.5 billion revenue forecast for the 2018 World Cup in Russia ... clubs only getting a small share:

Compensation fund for clubs ... $209m (Russia2018)
Club Protection Programme ... $127m

... while clubs play quite a big part in the development of the players at the World Cup ... it's mainly about development, right Infantophiles? Even if Fifa don't end up killing the goose that laid the golden eggs ... how much more will they squeeze out of the World Cup in the long run? ... could very well be less ... still, as clubs will demand a fair share ... at least some money will go to the places where players develop.


PS CFU issues warning saying CONCACAF breakaway talk is premature

 

It's all talk.
Just like the Clubs conceded to stupid demands by Qatar and the FIFA calendar...
... FIFA will negotiate a way to shut people like Rummenigge up on this issue too.

 

FIFA will probably offer the clubs a lot of money to agree.

 

Why would federations pay clubs to release players?
Federations also sign contracts with players.

 

I'm happy with any actions that lead to money being extracted from FIFA's pockets. So I applaud Rummenigge.

 

You know what I would love? Since FIFA are expected to make 800 million more pounds with the expansion, if the ECA demanded 800 million pounds to comply. Then we'll find if the expansion wasn't about money like they claim

 

Rummenigge is a stupid clown !!

 

So just because Infantino is Italian it doesn't matter to you that he craps on the legacy of the World Cup? Must be desperate times for Italians, what with their NT reduced to a minnow the past couple of WCs, having to hang their hat on a corrupt exec to still feel relevant. How the mighty have fallen.

 

I really don't care that Infantino is Italian !!! I am very happy of this reform simply because I want football more and more popular in the world. Anf if Rummenigge has some problem can eliminate the annualy summer tournee in China or in USA and don't think to the WC of the 2026 which will have the same number of games ( 7 ) for the finalist as much as the actual WC.....

 

I don't like the way FIFA manages the sport and tournaments as only "business". For me it's pretty obvious that the 2010,2014,2018 and the 2022 world cups intends mostly to favor the big construction companies so a few people can make millions of dollars building stadiums that will be used for a very limited amount of time and will generate no a very low income after the tournament.

 

Brazil’s World Cup beacon Maracana stadium plunged into darkness

... the state of Rio de Janeiro is in a severe financial crisis, having declared a ‘financial calamity.’ For months, teachers, nurses, and other public employees, and pensions have not been paid.

... when it's 48 teams ... and after a few of those mistakes ... 64 teams ... it will be a very exclusive event ... or worse, a plaything for dictators

 

Yeah, I must say I never understood the "I want football to be more popular" view. Not only is it already the most popular sport by an absolute mile, but what is there to gain from it becoming more popular ?

 

Oh right, I keep forgetting that half of the posters in this thread are on FIFA's Executive Board. I must remember to begin each post with "From a fan's POV.... "

 

Just to play devil's advocate, if there are nations that are somewhat indifferent to the sport but for whom a world cup might increase interest, that potentially creates a stronger environment for the growth of the domestic game, an incentive to focus on talent production and therefore more potentially great players entering the sport.

 

Your counter-argument does sound good and could probably be used by FIFA to distract people while FIFA stuff their pockets. But I'm skeptical...
The US 1994-present could be used as a case study to test your hypothesis. I'm not sure we've seen a tonne of greatness come out of the US in terms of soccer talent over the past 25 years.

Maybe I'm too much of a pessimist but these theoretical forecasts always seem to fall miles short in practice. I recall the MLS Executive VP made a claim in 2011 that "MLS will have 50 Landon Donovans 10 years from now." We're more than half-way through that 10 year period and the # of Donovan-types in the league probably still hovers at 1, or maybe 2 if we count Altidore but that's stretching it.

And of course because of the US's big population and diversity it is probably a best-case scenario. New Zealand and Cuba aren't going to be able to produce anything of that scale in terms of player exports even if they follow the US' footsteps in the next 30 years.

So yeah... not really worth ruining the greatest tournament in the history of sports over, imho.

 

yes, but regardless of the claim of 50 LDs by 2021. The 94 World Cup kick help to start MLS and the league has grown to what we have now. The league is growing strong with multiple cites wanting to join. The longer the league continues to grow the more talent will be developed.

 

Right. The problem being "more talent" isn't much more. So the question is, is a little more talent worth a diluted World Cup with a mickey-mouse format? Too me, having 1 Uzkbekistani in the English second division 20 years from now instead of the zero that are currently good enough for that league isn't worth it. We'll probably have to disagree on that though, but I'm just pointing-out that its not a free lunch.

 

Like I said, playing devils advocate.

Can't really argue further as I completely agree with the response. 32 was ideal. If FIFA wanted to be more inclusive, spreading some of UEFA's 13 berths about to improving federations would have been a better approach.

 

So Vanuatu lost the under-20 OFC qualifying final 5-nil to New Zealand. They still qualify for the u-20 World Cup though since OFC gets 2 spots.

I can't wait for this (senior) World Cup expansion...

 

Unnecessary fretting as we all know Vanatu and New Zealand will both be at the level of Chile/Belgium by WC26.

 

The allocations spots that were leaked for the 2026 WC show OFC getting 1 spot. New Zealand did fine in 2010. They didn't advance, but they drew all 3 games and finished above Italy in the group.

 

The allocation of spots, till now, still hasn't been decided, nor discussed at FIFA yet.
The only certainty about the issue (something that was always on the table since they first started talking about the expanssion), is that both Africa and Asia are going to get the biggest amount of the extra spots.
.
.
All that was "leaked" on regards to the allotment of spots for the 2026 WC, was an opinion by an interested part (there has been lots of others as well, btw), which doesn't in any way make it to be the real numbers for the case.
In my case, I believe that Oceania (OFC), are going to get at least 1,5 spots (and very likely that the half spot will be disputed against a team from Asia), but that's just my opinion.