Due to the increase in the number of participants in the next World Cup in 2026, when a record 48 national teams will participate in the World Cups in the USA, Canada and Mexico, a major change is being prepared in the current qualification model in anticipation of the new round for WC 2026.

According to the Madrid “Ac”, the qualifiers will be further “shortened” because Europe will have 16 representatives instead of the current 13, which means that it is not necessary to play eight to ten matches in the qualifiers.

It sounds a bit unusual, because we know that UEFA like to fill the calendar to the last place because of the TV rights, but this time they will have to reduce the number of matches.

UEFA’s plan foresees that in the future there will be 12 groups in the qualifiers for the World Cup, and thus each of them would have four or five selections, which would play six or eight matches in the entire qualifying cycle. Assuming that only the winners of the groups will secure a direct placement in the WC, the remaining four places would be “filled” through playoffs. Some predictions say that this is where the League of Nations could come into play again, but for now there is no concrete plan.