FIFA is considering increasing the number of participants in the World Cup to 64.
Medianews.az reports that in the 1930 and 1950 championships, 13 national teams participated, and in the 1938 championship, 15 teams took part.
16 teams participated in the 1934 championship, and the same number has been applied since 1954.
Since 1982, the World Cups have been held with the participation of 24 teams, and since 1998, with 32 teams.
48 teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup. Matches are also planned to be held in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.
New reports from FIFA suggest the possibility that the championship, or the 2034 championship to be held in Saudi Arabia, may be held with the participation of 64 teams.
How successful is the idea of holding the World Cup with the participation of 64 teams? Should Azerbaijan support the issue of increasing the number of participating teams?
If such a decision is made, how much would the chance of the Azerbaijani national team qualifying for the World Cup increase?
Medianews.az asked these questions to the head coach of the Azerbaijani national team, Ayhan Abbasov, who said that increasing the number of participants in the World Cup undoubtedly raises the chance of qualification: "Although traditional teams may be dissatisfied with the increase in the number of participants, both the teams and the fans of countries striving to play in this global competition view the increase positively.
How much the increase in the number of teams for the next championship will affect the chances of the Azerbaijani national team depends on several factors.
The first factor is how much the number of participants will increase in the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) zone. We compete in the European zone qualifiers to participate in the World Cup. Therefore, the matter that can directly affect us is how many spots will be allocated to European countries in the qualifying rounds.
The second factor concerning the chance is which group the team is placed in during the qualifiers, meaning which teams will be in the same group.
All these factors prevent us from assessing the chances of the Azerbaijani national team in the next championship if the number of participating teams increases. But as I said, generally, increasing the number of participating countries in the World Cup is a trend that increases the chances of teams that have not been able to qualify for previous championships.”
In the 48-team system, 16 places are allocated to Europe, 9 to Africa, 8 to Asia, 6 to South America, 6 to North and Central America, and 1 to Oceania. The holders of 2 places are determined in additional matches among representatives of Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America, and North and Central America.
The Azerbaijani national team, which has been participating in international tournaments since 1994, has been eliminated in the qualifying stages of 8 European Championships, 8 World Cups, and the group stage of 4 Nations Leagues.
Naile Qasımova,
Medianews.az