Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz accused FIFA of taking “rarity” and “value” out of the World Cup with this year’s expanded 48-team format, questioning the motives behind the change.
Africa has been the biggest beneficiary to the World Cup inflating from 32 entrants, gaining four additional automatic qualifying spots and access to an inter-confederation playoff—won by DR Congo to bring the number of qualifiers to 10. This time around, African qualifying, previously ultra-competitive, was much more straightforward for most of the continent’s heavyweights.
