Spanish league officials have strongly objected to the number of matches at the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time. According to them, FIFA is completely ignoring the impact on league competitions, as they stated on the website. The European League Association, which represents more than a thousand clubs, does not like the decision either.
FIFA announced the game format on Tuesday. A total of 104 games will be played at the championships in the USA, Canada and Mexico, which is 40 more than last year’s championship in Qatar. From 2025, the club championship for 32 teams will also be played once every four years in a new format.
“FIFA continues to ignore league competitions and completely unilaterally decide the shape of the world football calendar. They literally ignore the importance of national competitions to football as a whole,” La Liga said in a statement.
“It also completely ignores the economic impact its decision will have on leagues around the world. No one has discussed the proposed changes with national competition officials. especially the creation of a new competition for clubs. FIFA only pursues the interests of a narrow group of clubs and players,” added La Liga.
Spanish league officials also said they would discuss FIFA’s position with other professional competition officials at the next meeting of the World League Forum (WLF) umbrella organization and decide on next steps. The WLF criticized the expansion of the World Cup back in December.
“All decisions were made by FIFA unilaterally and without any consultation with representatives of football leagues and clubs. Unfortunately, this has become the norm in recent years,” European Leagues Association representatives said in a joint statement that they are considering further steps in response to FIFA’s decision.
