The FIFA Council has unanimously decided
in favour of expanding the FIFA World Cup™ to a 48-team competition as of the
2026 edition. World football’s supervisory and strategic body held its third
meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 9 and 10 January, and decided on a new
tournament format with the 48 national teams split into 16 groups of three. The
top two teams from each group will then advance to a 32-team knockout stage.
The new 48-team
competition format has been drawn up in such a way that there is no
reduction in the overall number of rest days and a guaranteed maximum of seven
matches for the teams reaching the final, while the current 32-day tournament
duration is kept, so as not to increase the length of time for which clubs have
to release their players.
The decision was
taken following a thorough analysis, based on a report that included four
different format options. The study took into account such factors as
sporting balance, competition quality, impact on football development,
infrastructure, projections on financial position and the consequences for
event delivery. Over the course of its next meetings, the FIFA Council is set
to discuss further details regarding the competition, including the slot
allocation per confederation.
At its most recent
meeting in October
2016, the FIFA Council had already discussed the scenarios to expand the
competition format of the FIFA World Cup. By then, it had also defined a set of
principles for countries to bid for the right to host the 2026 edition – a
process that is currently scheduled
to culminate in May 2020.
The first day of
the FIFA Council meeting saw the members split into five working groups
dedicated to specific themes: women’s football, technical development,
competitions, commercial matters and legal and corporate structures.
On 10 January, as
well as deciding on the expanded format, the Council agreed on a set of key
dates related to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ :
14 May 2018: Deadline for participating member associations to release a list
of 30 players;
20 May 2018: Recommended final day of club competitions, with the exception of
the UEFA Champions League final. Special exemptions may only be granted by the
FIFA Council;
21-27 May 2018: Official rest period to be respected by clubs and participating
member associations;
28 May 2018: Start of the release period for all participating member
associations;
4 June 2018: Submission of final list of 23 players.
The Council also
approved the early adoption of the IFRS15 standard in FIFA’s financial reports.
Furthermore, as
part of the ongoing consultation process, the composition of the new committees
has been decided and will be communicated once the respective members have been
informed.
The next meeting
of the FIFA Council is scheduled to be held in Manama, Bahrain, on 9 May 2017
ahead of the 67th FIFA
Congress.
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