No Problem with Level of Play in Expanded World Cup 2026
An expert has disputed the view that the quality of competition will decrease with the increase in the number of teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Criticism is often immediately raised whenever the total number of teams in a major competition such as the FIFA World Cup is increased. It's often said that quality drops and results become predictable—especially when a match comes up where a powerhouse team scores six or seven goals against a smaller nation. But, according to Endika Río's analysis, it is not unique to the World Cup 2026 with 48 teams. This happens even when there are 16, 24, or 32 teams, and even in the final semifinals, there are one-sided scoreboards.
Opening the door to more qualifying nations this World Cup does not lower the bar. Rather, the level of new and previously weak participants is usually the same. The only challenge is, there are now more matches between teams that are not yet big names, and less immediate competition from powerhouses like Germany, Brazil, or Argentina until the knockout phase. Also, since there are eight third-placed entries, the value of each match and the possible surprises in the group stage are reduced.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://imagenes2.mundodeportivo.com/files/author_twitter_meta/uploads/2021/07/30/61032e527ffae.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Some examples—Germany beat Curazao by seven goals in their debut, but managed a late draw against Ecuador, who were runners-up in the South American qualifiers. Meanwhile, New Zealand with the lowest FIFA ranking (85) earned a point against Iran (rank 20) and even led Egypt (rank 29) at halftime. Meanwhile, Cape Verde dominates with history in this tournament.
So while the World Cup 2026 has challenges, it does not include the alleged drop in the level of teams. Instead, more space is given to a wider field of football and more countries are given the opportunity to step on the stage of the biggest tournament in the world.
