Here’s the new qualification system including a Word Cup play-off tournament beginning 2026:
The expansion to 48 teams has been a key plank of Gianni Infantino’s policy at
Fifa. It expands the number of places at the finals available to teams of every confederation, including guaranteeing that a team from Oceania will always make the cut. The new allocation of spaces is:
AFC (Asia) – eight places (up from 4.5)
Caf (Africa) – nine places (up from 5)
Concacaf (North and Central America) – six places, of which three go to hosts (up from 3.5)
Conmebol (South America) – six places (up from 4.5)
OFC (Oceania) – one place (up from 0.5)
Uefa (Europe) – 16 places (up from 13)
In addition there will be two final spots available from a new World Cup play-off mini-tournament.
The proposal is that a nation from every confederation, except Uefa, will play-off in a knockout tournament that doubles up as a test event for the host nation. The five teams will be joined by an additional country from the host nations’ confederation – Concacaf. Two seeded teams will each meet the winners of a match between two unseeded teams to determine the final places.