\n
MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 A supersized World Cup paved the way for the world. small curacao island<\/span> and Cape Verde are set to book a spot in the sport’s biggest global event next year.<\/p>\nJust as FIFA president Gianni Infantino predicted.<\/p>\n
The world football governing body made this announcement back in 2017. Controversial plans to expand sports’ flagship tournament<\/span> In 2026, the number will increase from 32 teams to 48 teams. Infantino explained that this would create an opportunity for countries that “never dreamed of taking part” in the World Cup.<\/p>\n“I congratulate Curacao on your great achievements. In only your fourth cycle as an independent nation, you have rightly inspired us all,” Infantino said.<\/p>\n
Some argued that this expansion was politically motivated. There were concerns that the quality and drama would diminish as the format expanded.<\/p>\n
That remains to be seen. But the extravagant version of the tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, is already creating a fascinating story long before it kicks off next June.<\/p>\n
Rookie and comeback<\/h2>\n
The Caribbean island of Cura\u00e7ao became the smallest populous nation in history to qualify for the World Cup, overtaking Iceland. Cape Verde is the third smallest country.<\/p>\n
Uzbekistan and Jordan are also participating for the first time. play off<\/span> There may be more new faces, including New Caledonia, Suriname, Kosovo and Albania.<\/p>\nCountries making their long-awaited return to the World Cup also have the right to participate.<\/p>\n
Scotland return for the first time since 1998<\/span>. Norway will see Erling Haaland grace football’s biggest stage for the first time, and so will Austria. Haiti qualified for the second time.<\/span> The last time they played in the World Cup was in 1974.<\/p>\n“It’s a great feeling,” said Scotland coach Steve Clarke. “We’re there…it’s a great moment.”<\/p>\n
Opportunities have increased, but the Giants are struggling<\/h2>\n
This expansion is sure to create more opportunities for regions like CONCACAF, which has secured six direct spots, including three co-sponsors. In addition, there are two teams that will participate in the playoffs, but in 2022, three teams will directly qualify and one team will qualify through the playoffs.<\/p>\n
There were previously five teams in Africa, but now nine teams will qualify directly, with one team potentially qualifying via play-offs.<\/p>\n
But even with the expanded version, established countries still struggle. 4-time world champion Italy is on the verge of defeat<\/span> They finished second in their qualifying group and won for the third consecutive year.<\/p>\nThe Italians, the 2021 European champions, must get through the play-offs to end their World Cup banishment.<\/p>\n
This prompted a complaint from Gennaro Gattuso, the Italian national team coach.<\/p>\n
“In my era, the highest (team) second place could go straight to the World Cup, but now the rules have changed,” he said.<\/p>\n
Despite Gattuso’s complaints, Europe has more spots than any other continent, with 13 to 16 teams qualifying directly or via play-offs.<\/p>\n
There is an argument that the European qualifiers are too easy for the top countries. England achieved 100% without conceding a goal and qualified to win their group. England have not lost 39 games in World Cup qualifying since 2009.<\/p>\n
Norway, which topped Italy’s group, also achieved 100% in qualifying, while Croatia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland qualified for the tournament without losing.<\/p>\n
changing of the guard<\/h2>\n
Italy’s plight is indicative of its own decline, having failed to qualify for the World Cup since 2014. Italy’s slump goes back even further, with Italy winning the tournament in 2006 but losing in the group stages of the last two World Cups they played in (2010 and 2014).<\/p>\n
Germany won the last of their four world titles in 2014 and were eliminated in the group stages of the next two World Cups. This suggests that the dominance of established elites may no longer be guaranteed.<\/p>\n
It is also being felt outside of Europe.<\/p>\n
Nigeria has long been one of the powerhouses in African football, qualifying for six of the seven editions from 1994 to 2018. He also missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, missing out on the World Cup for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n
Can the newcomers and underdogs create more surprises?<\/h2>\n
Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde have already made history by qualifying for the World Cup, and their success should inspire future generations and lead to further development of the game in the country.<\/p>\n
That was what FIFA hoped to achieve with the expanded tournament.<\/p>\n
However, the World Cup has been the scene of many famous upsets over the years. In 1950, the United States overwhelmed the mighty United Kingdom. In 2022, Saudi Arabia defeated Lionel Messi and eventual world champion Argentina<\/span>. Cameroon defeated then-defending champion Argentina in 1990, and Senegal achieved the same victory over France, the other defending champion, in 2002.<\/p>\nMorocco in 2022 first african nation<\/span> They defeated European powerhouses Belgium, Spain, and Portugal along the way to advance to the World Cup semifinals.<\/p>\nThe gap is closing, and teams once considered outsiders now have genuine ambitions to reach the tournament.<\/p>\n
As hosts, the United States will aim to better their best result at the World Cup in 2002, when they reached the quarter-finals under coach Mauricio Pochettino. Lost 5-1 against Uruguay<\/span> You will feel more confident.<\/p>\nBut the likes of Argentina, Brazil, Spain and France remain favorites to lift the trophy, which has only been shared between eight countries in its 95-year history.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
James Robson is https:\/\/x.com\/James Saran Robson<\/span><\/p>\n___<\/p>\n
AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 A supersized World Cup paved the way for the world. small curacao island and Cape Verde are set to book a spot in the sport’s biggest global event next year. Just as FIFA president Gianni Infantino predicted. The world football governing body made this announcement back in 2017. Controversial plans to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer"},"yoast_head":"\n
Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 A supersized World Cup paved the way for the world. small curacao island and Cape Verde are set to book a spot in the sport’s biggest global event next year. Just as FIFA president Gianni Infantino predicted. The world football governing body made this announcement back in 2017. Controversial plans to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-19T22:35:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/\",\"name\":\"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-19T22:35:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":810},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 A supersized World Cup paved the way for the world. small curacao island and Cape Verde are set to book a spot in the sport’s biggest global event next year. Just as FIFA president Gianni Infantino predicted. The world football governing body made this announcement back in 2017. Controversial plans to","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2025-11-19T22:35:46+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/","name":"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-11-19T22:35:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F502F502F6f29a56c67201a63dda7ca588e432Fdfae792b33484c2b96abbbc41edcae5c.jpeg","width":1440,"height":810},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/curacao-and-cape-verde-qualify-for-the-super-sized-world-cup-but-the-four-time-champions-are-on-the-brink\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cura\u00e7ao and Cape Verde qualify for the super-sized World Cup, but the four-time champions are on the brink"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}