Play-Off To Decide Two Slots
In the event that a suggestion by the Bureau of the FIFA Council is affirmed by the world football representing body, Africa will from the 2026 release of the World Cup show nine groups at the worldwide party.
As per a record made accessible to The Guardian by FIFA yesterday, the chamber, including the world representing body's President, Gianni Infantino and the leaders of each of the six confederations, met on Thursday in Zurich and consented to consider on space distribution for the opposition starting with the 2026 release.
"The suggestion will now be submitted for the sanction of the FIFA Council, whose next meeting is planned for May 9 in Manama, Bahrain, two days before the 67th FIFA Congress.
It clarified that when the FIFA Council on January 10 collectively consented to grow the FIFA World Cup to a 48-group rivalry, "FIFA, the confederations and the part affiliations occupied with a counsel procedure, which brought about the proposition prescribed by the Bureau of the Council. As per this proposition, the split of direct compartments."
At the point when the proposition is endorsed Asia will be dispensed eight direct spaces, Africa nine, CONCACAF (NORTH America) six, Oceania one and Europe 16.
"The host nation would likewise consequently fit the bill for the FIFA World Cup, and its space would be taken from the standard of its confederation. In case of co-facilitating, the quantity of host nations to qualify naturally would be chosen by the FIFA Council," it said.
After the allotments to the landmasses, the two residual spaces would be chosen through a play-off including six groups.
The play off will include "one group for every confederation except for UEFA and one extra group from the confederation of the host nation."
It uncovered that two of the groups to be seeded in light of the "FIFA/Coca-Cola positioning will play for a World Cup billet against the champs of the initial two knockout recreations including the four unseeded groups" including that the competition would be played in the host nation (ies) and would be utilized as a test occasion for the FIFA World Cup.
The diversions will be played amid the current play-off window of November 2025 recommended as conditional date for the 2026 release.