Due to the new format of the 48-team World Cup, FIFA has continued intensive negotiations with representatives of each continent.
Currently, discussions are ongoing regarding the number of slots.
It is reported that UEFA and its new president Aleksander Ceferin have actively demanded 16 teams from the European continent from the very beginning, and this goal will most likely be achieved.
This means that in 2026, each World Cup group will have one team from the Old Continent.
The number of automatically qualifying teams could decrease unless a UEFA member country hosts the tournament.
It is announced that CONCACAF and CONMEBOL will receive six slots each, while AFC will get eight, CAF nine, and OFC one.
Two more participants will be determined after a tournament of six nations, where the knockout round pairs will be made based on the FIFA national team rankings at that time.
