Overview
- Carlos Queiroz, speaking after Saturday's 2-1 loss to Croatia in Philadelphia, said the larger 48-team format makes World Cup qualification easier and therefore less meaningful.
- Ghana nevertheless advanced to the round of 32 despite finishing third in their group and will face Colombia in Kansas City in the next knockout round.
- The 2026 expansion increased available berths for Africa to around ten teams, a change that critics say lowers the bar for qualification while supporters point to wider global representation.
- Some outlets noted the new format has allowed smaller nations such as DR Congo, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, and South Africa to reach milestones this summer that were unlikely under a 32-team field.
- Queiroz said 'money talks' in the modern game and urged organisers to study the format carefully, noting players' long seasons and his side's costly defensive errors as reasons to rethink qualification and tournament structure.