Infantino said FIFA would consider the tournament system following the “success” of the four-team group system at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the federation will reconsider the system of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The number of teams participating in the World Cup will increase from 32 to 48, to be divided into 16 groups, each with three teams, and the first and second of each group will qualify for the round of 32.
Infantino said FIFA would consider this following the “success” of the four-team group system at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“The four-team groups were very impressive here,” he added.
He continued, “Until the last minute of the last match, we did not know which teams would qualify for the next round.”
“We have to reconsider the tournament system, or at least re-discuss it. This will certainly be on the agenda at the next meeting,” he said.
There were some very exciting matches in the group stage in Qatar, with fierce competition to book one of the first or second places in order to advance to the last 16.
The system of groups consisting of four teams is applied, with the first and second places reaching the knockout stages, since the number of participating teams increased to 32 in 1998.
“Best World Cup ever”
Infantino made the remarks at a press conference in Qatar following attending a meeting of the FIFA Council.
He said that with the approaching match for third place and the final, the number of audiences in the stadiums reached 3.27 million, compared to 3.3 million spectators at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Infantino said: “Thank you to all the participants, Qatar and all the volunteers who made this World Cup the best ever.”
“There were no incidents during the matches, and the atmosphere was very pleasant,” he added.
He continued, “There is something going on when we talk regarding football becoming a truly global game, with the arrival of an African team [المغرب] to the semi-finals for the first time.
“She also managed wisdom,” Infantino said [ستيفاني فرابارت] first time in the Men’s World Cup.
He added, “It was an incredible success, as the number of viewers approached five billion. The fans met the Arab world, which is very important for the future of all of us.”
‘A legacy of exploitation and shame’
Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, along with its stance on same-sex relations and its human rights record, have been among the controversies that have overshadowed preparations for the World Cup.
The CEO of the Qatar World Cup was criticized by Human Rights Watch for showing “extreme disregard” when he said “death is a natural part of life” in response to a question regarding the death of a migrant worker at the tournament.
Human Rights Watch also said that the 2022 World Cup “ends without a commitment from FIFA or the Qatari authorities to address abuses, including the unexplained deaths of migrant workers, over the past 12 years during preparations for the tournament.”
Human rights organizations and a number of football federations called on FIFA to establish a compensation fund for migrant workers and their families, as well as to establish a center for migrant workers in Doha.
“Unless FIFA and Qatar address the widespread unaddressed abuses suffered by migrants who participated in the tournament’s preparations, they will have chosen to leave behind a legacy of exploitation and shame,” said Rothna Begum, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“For us every loss of life is a tragedy, and we’ve done everything we can do to change the legislation needed to protect workers’ conditions. And we’ll do everything we can do for the future,” Infantino said.
He added, “We want to build on this experience in the future and make sure that we can help and benefit from and highlight the World Cup to make the lives of people and their families better.”
