Marcotti DEFENDS the 48-team World Cup coming in 2026

[Bigpokey24]

i agree with this, the excuse about quality is BS

[Synopsis]

Have you ever seen Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, Tahiti play football? Because there’s a good chance you will see those teams in 2026.

[Bigpokey24]

Have you ever seen Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, Tahiti play football? Because there’s a good chance you will see those teams in 2026.

once in a while try as much as possible to think and research before you post


5 time world champ

[kalani JR]

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

[waka-man]

From an African perspective I think this gets you 4 of Algeria, Egypt, CIV, South Africa, DRC and maybe a wildcard and that’s no dilution whatsoever. All final 10 African qualifiers for the last knockout round were pretty much World Cup ready sides.

It’s a good thing for Africa.

[Bigpokey24]

Imagine the following CAF teams at a world cup all at the same time...
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
Ivory coast
Egypt
ghana

One makes it via the playoffs
Mali, Burkina Faso, DR.Congo, Zambia, SouthAfrica

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Have you ever seen Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, Tahiti play football? Because there’s a good chance you will see those teams in 2026.

Kpom! Adding more teams will give countries that usually don’t qualify a chance to be a part of the WC but it also lowers the standard for qualification. Even Marcortti admits as much by stressing the sentimental reasons for expansion. However, making it easier for the likes of Nigeria, CIV and Syria won’t change their fortune in the competition. They’ll be back home the same time they usually get home unless they improve.

[waka-man]

Have you ever seen Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, Tahiti play football? Because there’s a good chance you will see those teams in 2026.

Kpom! Adding more teams will give countries that usually don’t qualify a chance to be a part of the WC but it also lowers the standard for qualification. Even Marcortti admits as much by stressing the sentimental reasons for expansion. However, making it easier for the likes of Nigeria, CIV and Syria won’t change their fortune in the competition. They’ll be back home the same time they usually get home unless they improve.

I think you’ll have 4 or 5 additional genuine weak teams but on the whole that’s ok. Most of the teams as he points out that will take up the space will be just as good as those in the 32. I can think of 4-6 in africa alone. Add Italy, Norway, Sweden, Columbia, Turkey and you’re genuinely not lowering the quality.

And you’re also increasing the chance of a Morocco to break through.

[Tobi17]

Imagine the following CAF teams at a world cup all at the same time...
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
Ivory coast
Egypt
ghana

One makes it via the playoffs
Mali, Burkina Faso, DR.Congo, Zambia, SouthAfrica

Why did you put Ghana in small letter?

[1naija]

Uncle, should we just go back to when the tournament had 16 teams and Africa had one team? I am sure some would argue the quality of football was the best then also.

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

[wiseone]

CAF

CAF is the biggest beneficiary of World Cup expansion as it will have more slots than any continent except Europe. If the 48 team World Cup had started in 2022, CAF's additional qualifiers would have been Algeria (Mahrez), Egypt (Salah), Mali (Haidara), and Nigeria (Osimhen). Those would be seriously dangerous additions and I cannot imagine that any opposition teams would be pleased at having to face those players at the World Cup.

Plus (unlike other continents), you can double the number of CAF qualifiers without a serious diminution in quality.

UEFA

Europe’s additional qualifiers would have been North Macedonia , Sweden , and Ukraine (European champions Italy still would not have qualified in a World Cup with 16 additional teams!).

The problems are in CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and Oceania.

CONMEBOL

60% of South American teams will qualify for the World Cup: meaning that bizarrely, it will be harder for a team not to qualify than it actually is to qualify.

OCEANIA

New Zealand will almost certainly always qualify because the strongest team in its region (Australia) left Oceania to join Asia. This means that New Zealand will get lots of “free hits” against Fiji, Samoa etc (who will not qualify despite what an earlier poster said).

CONCACAF

CONCACAF will get an entirely underserved 6 teams (AKA Canada , USA , Mexico , and a few emerging Caribbean teams).

[kalani JR]

Uncle, should we just go back to when the tournament had 16 teams and Africa had one team? I am sure some would argue the quality of football was the best then also.

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

In my heart of hearts, yes but I would have had three African teams and the placements would have been similar to the Olympics. I think 32 was a good medium between expanding the game and maintaining the integrity.

[The YeyeMan]

Uncle, should we just go back to when the tournament had 16 teams and Africa had one team? I am sure some would argue the quality of football was the best then also.

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

In my heart of hearts, yes but I would have had three African teams and the placements would have been similar to the Olympics. I think 32 was a good medium between expanding the game and maintaining the integrity.

I agree. 32 is the ideal number.

I think qualifying could be made more exciting so that there's a guaranteed number of spots but then intercontinental qualifiers used to decide a handful.

[folem]

From an African perspective I think this gets you 4 of Algeria, Egypt, CIV, South Africa, DRC and maybe a wildcard and that’s no dilution whatsoever. All final 10 African qualifiers for the last knockout round were pretty much World Cup ready sides.

It’s a good thing for Africa.

Naija no reach last WC too.

[waka-man]

From an African perspective I think this gets you 4 of Algeria, Egypt, CIV, South Africa, DRC and maybe a wildcard and that’s no dilution whatsoever. All final 10 African qualifiers for the last knockout round were pretty much World Cup ready sides.

It’s a good thing for Africa.

Naija no reach last WC too.

I’m still in De Nile

[1naija]

Why 3 in the first place. Lets kuku give the African spots to Europe so the likes of Estonia, Belarus, and Latvia can show us top quality soccer.

Uncle, should we just go back to when the tournament had 16 teams and Africa had one team? I am sure some would argue the quality of football was the best then also.

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

In my heart of hearts, yes but I would have had three African teams and the placements would have been similar to the Olympics. I think 32 was a good medium between expanding the game and maintaining the integrity.

[kalani JR]

Why 3 in the first place. Lets kuku give the African spots to Europe so the likes of Estonia, Belarus, and Latvia can show us top quality soccer.

Uncle, should we just go back to when the tournament had 16 teams and Africa had one team? I am sure some would argue the quality of football was the best then also.

Typical FIFA, you have the best quality of football ever and immediately do everything to ruin the next one.

In my heart of hearts, yes but I would have had three African teams and the placements would have been similar to the Olympics. I think 32 was a good medium between expanding the game and maintaining the integrity.

I only had three for Europe, three for Africa, three for South America and Asia two for CONCACAF and South America, one for Oceania.

[OJI]

Imagine the following CAF teams at a world cup all at the same time...
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
Ivory coast
Egypt
ghana

One makes it via the playoffs
Mali, Burkina Faso, DR.Congo, Zambia, SouthAfrica

Patrick Motsepe, CAF President, can't be possibly pleased with this scenario. One East African, one South African, and one Central African country has to be guaranteed a spot from this expansion. $9million+ for just showing face at the mundial? Spread the game, spread the dividends of Infantino's vision. Football everywhere!

[Bigpokey24]

Imagine the following CAF teams at a world cup all at the same time...
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
Ivory coast
Egypt
ghana

One makes it via the playoffs
Mali, Burkina Faso, DR.Congo, Zambia, SouthAfrica

Patrick Motsepe, CAF President, can't be possibly pleased with this scenario. One East African, one South African, and one Central African country has to be guaranteed a spot from this expansion. $9million+ for just showing face at the mundial? Spread the game, spread the dividends of Infantino's vision. Football everywhere!

yeap, he is going to pull the same WAFU or regional qualifiers..

[oscar52]

The finalists in the continental championships like AFCON, EURO etc if it occurred within 2 yrs before the world cup should get automatic qualifications.

[Bigpokey24]

The finalists in the continental championships like AFCON, EURO etc if it occurred within 2 yrs before the world cup should get automatic qualifications.

so how will the 9th and playoff team be picked from AFCON?

[akamoke]

The finalists in the continental championships like AFCON, EURO etc if it occurred within 2 yrs before the world cup should get automatic qualifications.

My only concern here is you want to keep the teams competition ready

This is why they scrapped the idea of defending champions getting a bye for WC qualifiers, these teams may get rusty

Even if Nigeria wins the Afcon, I still want them to compete for the World cup during qualifiers, it will get them battle redy

[deanotito]

These guys are actually serious sha. 48 teams?