[music playing]
- If football's flagship
event is expanded,
it will be the fourth
time it's happened.
Back at the first
World Cup in Uruguay,
in 1930, there were
only 13 countries
invited to compete, all
from Europe or the Americas.
Four years later, and
the number of teams
rose to 16, with Egypt becoming
the first African nation
to qualify.
Almost half a century later,
24 countries contested
the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
And it wasn't until
France '98 that football's
most prestigious event
became a 32 team tournament.
The 2026 World Cup
is the earliest
it would grow to 48 nations.
So how would it work?
The most likely option
for a 48 team World Cup
is to start with
16 groups of three,
and two countries
qualifying from each group.
That would leave us
with just 32 nations.
And five knockout
rounds later, one team
will be world champions.
All that would require
more games, an increase
from 64 to 80 matches overall.
Critics also say it will dilute
the quality of the competition
because almost a quarter of
the world's football nations
would be at the World Cup.
But the plan has
plenty of support
within football because a
bigger World Cup will bring
in even more money
than the $4.8 billion
Brazil 2014 reportedly made.
And there will be extra
spots for countries
from Africa, Asia, North
and Central America,
and the Caribbean.
