World Cup 2026: Africa could have ten places
Africa could have ten teams at the 2026 World Cup. 4 places will be guaranteed, and a fifth is possible via the play-offs.
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From 13 teams at the start (1930), the World Cup will expand to 48 from the 23rd edition, in 2026. Staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the next World Cup will be one of innovations. In terms of the number of participants, the competition format and the financial rewards, the football world is heading for an exceptional tournament. On the number of qualifiers, Africa stands to benefit, with its total of representatives potentially doubling.
The continent has had five places since 2010 and the move to 32 teams. At the current edition, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia flew its flag. It will receive four additional berths from 2026, with the chance of taking a fifth through the two places coming from the play-offs, which will be held a few months before the finals. According to L’Équipe, this mini qualifying tournament will be played "with six teams, one for each confederation except UEFA (and an additional one for the continent of the host nation or nations)".
"The most lucrative World Cup in history"
Another major beneficiary of the World Cup's expansion to 48 teams is the AFC zone (Asia and Australia). Like Africa, it will automatically gain four extra places, giving it eight representatives, and could take a fifth through the play-offs.
What about the competition format? Initially, the 48 teams were to be drawn into sixteen groups of three. But, according to L’Équipe, nothing has been settled and "it is a priori no longer the trend". The paper reports that "two other options are on the table, according to Arsène Wenger, FIFA's director of development: 12 groups of 4 or two tournaments of 24 teams (with 6 groups of 4 on each side)".
Either way, there will be at least 80 matches from 2026 (compared with 64 currently). And the money will flow. A FIFA report, picked up by the French sports daily, forecasts additional revenue of 640 million dollars. The three host countries, for their part, are projecting turnover of 14 billion dollars. "The most lucrative World Cup in history", they promise.
The Editorial Team – Sport News Africa