World Cup
UEFA proposes changes to FIFA in the selection of European teams for the 2026 World Cup
The Union of European Football Associations has applied to the International Football Federation with a proposal for a new format to select the European teams that will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
They want to hold a two-stage qualifying tournament in Nyon: group and playoffs. In the first stage, there will be 12 groups consisting of 4-5 teams. The winners of the groups will go directly to the final stage of the World Cup.
The 12 teams that finished second in the groups will then play the playoffs. The four 2024/2025 Nations League group winners who failed to finish first or second in their qualifying group will also join them. The 16 participants in the playoff stage will be split into four quads, where the challenges will take place in a one-game semi-final and final format.
Recall that the final part of the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.