One of the unseen casualties of a 64-team World Cup would have been the qualifying competitions themselves, and the desire to protect their integrity was a key factor in FIFA’s rejection of the plan. Critics, led by UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin, successfully argued that making the finals too easy to reach would devalue the entire journey.
The World Cup’s appeal is not just the month-long tournament; it’s the two-year narrative of the qualification process. The high-stakes matches, the dramatic last-minute goals, and the heartbreak of failure are all part of the global spectacle. This drama is what fills stadiums and drives media interest in the years between tournaments.
A 64-team format would have severely undermined this. In a confederation like South America, where ten teams compete, the qualification process would have been rendered almost meaningless. With potentially eight or nine spots available, the tension and drama would evaporate. Ceferin explicitly warned that the proposal would “undermine the qualifying competition.”
This concern was clearly shared within the FIFA Council. They understood that the qualifying process is not just a preliminary round; it’s a valuable sporting and commercial product in its own right. Protecting its value is crucial for the financial health of confederations and national associations around the world.
By saying “no” to 64 teams, FIFA has preserved the significance of the qualifiers. It has ensured that the path to the World Cup will remain a challenging and meaningful test, thereby protecting a vital, and often overlooked, part of the tournament’s appeal.