Infantino said FIFA would consider the tournament system following the “success” of the four-team group system at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the federation will reconsider the system for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The number of teams participating in the World Cup will go from 32 to 48, to be divided into 16 groups, each of three teams, and the first and second of each group will qualify for the round of 32.
Infantino said FIFA would consider him following the “success” of the four-team group system at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“The four-team groups have been very impressive here,” he added.
He continued: “Up until the last minute of the last game, we didn’t know which teams would qualify for the next round.”
“We have to reconsider the tournament system, or at least re-discuss it. This will definitely be on the agenda for the next meeting,” he said.
There were some very exciting matches in the group stage in Qatar, with fierce competition for a first or second place finisher to progress to the round of 16.
A four-team group system is applied, with the first and second places reaching the knockout stages, since the number of participating teams increased to 32 in 1998.
“The best World Cup ever”
Infantino made the remarks at a news conference in Qatar after attending a FIFA Council meeting.
He said that as the third-place match and the final approached, crowds in stadiums had reached 3.27 million, compared with 3.3 million for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Infantino said: “Thanks to all the participants, Qatar and all the volunteers who made this World Cup the best ever.”
“There were no incidents during the matches and the atmosphere was very pleasant,” he added.
He continued: “Something is happening when we talk about football becoming a truly global game, with the arrival of an African team [المغرب] for the first time in the semifinals.
“He also handled wisdom,” Infantino said [ستيفاني فرابارت] first time in the men’s World Cup.
He added: “It was an incredible success, as the number of viewers approached five billion. The fans met the Arab world, which is very important for the future of all of us.”
“A Legacy of Exploitation and Shame”
Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, along with its stance on same-sex relations and its respect for human rights, were among the controversies that overshadowed the World Cup preparations.
The Qatar World Cup chief executive was criticized by Human Rights Watch for showing “extreme contempt” when he said that “death is a normal part of life” in response to a question about the death of a migrant worker during the tournament.
Human Rights Watch also said that the 2022 World Cup “ends without a commitment from FIFA or the Qatari authorities to address abuses, including unexplained deaths of migrant workers, over the past 12 years during preparations for the tournament” .
Human rights organizations and a number of football federations have called on FIFA to set up a compensation fund for migrant workers and their families, as well as establish a migrant worker center in Doha.
“Unless FIFA and Qatar address the widespread unaddressed abuse suffered by migrants who participated in the preparations for the tournament, they will have chosen to leave behind a legacy of exploitation and shame,” said Rothna Begum, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“For us, any loss of life is a tragedy, and we have done everything we can to change the legislation needed to protect workers’ conditions. And we will do everything we can for the future,” Infantino said.
He added: “We want to build on this experience going forward and make sure we can help, benefit from and highlight the World Cup to improve the lives of people and their families.”
