World Cup May Expand to 40 Teams by 2026, Soccer Body Says
- Top FIFA committee discussed expanding tournament Thursday
- FIFA members also agreed to changes amid ongoing crisis
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Soccer’s World Cup may expand to 40 teams by 2026 as the sport’s global governing body looks to give more slots to African and Asian nations without blocking European and Latin American squads with some of the biggest stars.
The increase was discussed at a meeting of the group’s executive committee, which also agreed to a group of reforms to help embattled FIFA bounce back from the biggest crisis in its 111-year history. The World Cup, sport’s most-watched event, was increased to its current 32-team format for the 1998 tournament in France.