Heartbreaking! Foreign media predicts World Cup expansion to 64 teams: two weak Oceanian teams get in, yet China still absent

Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that FIFA will thoroughly examine the possibility of expanding the World Cup to 64 teams in the near future.

On July 14 Beijing time, French outlet Foot Mercato also speculated on the expanded World Cup's composition.

The expanded 64-team World Cup would be divided into 16 groups of four teams each—four more groups than the 2026 edition. The top two teams from each group advance to a 32-team knockout stage, while the bottom two are eliminated immediately.

As a result, FIFA would completely abolish the widely criticized "best third-placed teams" advancement rule used in this edition, making the format clearer and easier for the public to understand.

Regarding the expanded participant lineup, the French media made precise predictions. In Europe, Italy—who have missed three consecutive World Cups—would return thanks to Europe's expansion to 20 spots.

Oceania would also see its allocation increase from one spot to three, allowing weak teams like Tahiti and New Caledonia to make their historic first appearances at the World Cup finals.

Galling for China is that even though Asia expands to 12 spots, the French media still see the Chinese men's team failing to qualify. Besides the nine teams from this edition, the three additional spots go to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Indonesia.

As for China, ranked 13th in Asia, they would still miss out on a second World Cup appearance even with the expansion.

Attached: Projected 64-team World Cup lineup

UEFA (20 teams): Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Italy, Kosovo, Denmark, Poland

CAF (14 teams): Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Burkina Faso

AFC (12 teams): Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Indonesia

CONCACAF (8 teams): United States, Canada, Mexico, Curaçao, Panama, Jamaica, Suriname, Haiti

CONMEBOL (7 teams): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia

OFC (3 teams): New Zealand, Tahiti, New Caledonia