The 2026 FIFA World Cup was already in news for having 48 teams for the first time in the tournament history, and also three hosts – United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see 104 matches being played across 16 cities in the three countries from June 11 to July 19.
Now, with a little over a year to go for the quadrennial event, FIFA has banned three nations.
Pakistan
It is one of the three nations to be banned from the competition. The reason? The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) did not adopt a new constitution that guarantees free and fair polls, which is mandatory as per FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rules.
The world football body had suspended the PFF on February 6 due to the failure of Congress of Pakistan to amend the constitution as mandated by FIFA. Pakistan football has been governed by a FIFA-appointed committee since June 2019.
FIFA lifted the suspension on the PFF this Sunday following the successful outcome of the PFF Extraordinary Congress on February 27. Pakistan will now be able to participate in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and will face Syria in their Group E' opener on March 25.
Pakistan lost all six of its matches in the first round of the qualifying round.
Russia
Russia will not meet the qualification requirement for the 2026 World Cup as the national football team was barred from participating in both FIFA and UEFA tournaments since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Congo
The country has been banned from the tournament for "unlawful third-party interference" in the management of the Congolese Football Federation.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How FIFA has redistributed the available spots
FIFA has redistributed the available spots in the 48-team format thus:
Europe: From 13 to 16 teams
Asia: Nine qualification slots
Africa: Increase of up to 10 slots
South America: Qualifies 5 to 6 teams
North and Central America: Between 6 and 8 teams
