Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has criticized the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup format, calling it “vulgar and banal” and warning that the tournament risks losing the uniqueness that has traditionally made it football’s biggest prize.
The former Real Madrid manager questioned whether qualification still held the same importance when almost a quarter of FIFA’s 211 member associations could reach the finals.
“I believe value comes when things are rare. The number of teams that can qualify for this tournament can turn it into something vulgar and ordinary. When so many teams can qualify, is value still rare? It’s debatable, but that’s just my opinion,” Queiroz said after Ghana’s 2-1 loss to Croatia.
The 2026 edition is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team format that France has been playing since 1998. With the increased competition increasing the number of matches from 64 to 104 and guaranteeing more places for each confederation, FIFA argued that the move would give football greater global representation.
However, Queiroz believes the expansion has reduced the value of the qualification process, particularly in Europe.
“Who doesn’t qualify in Europe? If everyone qualifies, qualifiers start to lose their importance. Qualifiers should be serious, very tough, very competitive. The World Cup should have meaning and importance. It should be rare,” he said.
The Portuguese coach also suggested that commercial interests have become the driving force behind football’s biggest decisions.
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“But, you know, money is talked about in sports today. Where we used to talk about football, it’s now moneyball,” he added.
The expansion remains one of the most controversial changes introduced under FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Supporters argue that a bigger World Cup gives more countries the chance to compete on the biggest stage, helping the sport grow beyond its traditional powerhouses and generating more investment in developing footballing nations.
However, critics have questioned whether the extended format weakens the quality of the competition, adding to an already crowded international calendar and reducing the difficulty of reaching the finals.
Several traditional football powers, including Italy, have failed to qualify for recent World Cups under the 32-team format, while countries in Asia, Africa, North America and Oceania have welcomed additional qualification spots under the new system.
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Despite his reservations about the expansion of the tournament, Queiroz insisted that his comments reflected his personal opinion rather than criticism of the teams that had placed him.
“I believe that value comes when things are rare… but that’s just my opinion,” he said.
The decision to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams was unanimously approved by FIFA’s council in January 2017, less than four months after Gianni Infantino was elected as FIFA president. Infantino had promised a major campaign for expansion, arguing that football’s biggest competition should be more inclusive and give more nations the chance to compete on a global stage.
UEFA has 16 guaranteed places, Africa nine, Asia eight, CONCACAF six, CONMEBOL six and Oceania one, with two additional spots determined by intercontinental playoffs. FIFA said the changes would increase participation.