48 teams too many for FIFA World Cup: Ghana coach Queiroz after qualifying for third place

No continent has benefited more from the expansion of the World Cup than Africa.

A total of 10 teams qualified for the tournament, doubling the five spots given to African teams when a 32-team field was used. Eight have advanced from the group stages to the round of 16, and Algeria would join them with a win or draw against Austria on Saturday. Tunisia is the only African party to have been officially eliminated.

And yet, after Ghana’s 2-1 defeat by Croatia to wrap up the group stage on Saturday, Black Stars manager Carlos Queiroz suggested expansion has been a mistake because it takes the shine off earning a place.

“I never see ordinary things in my life, ordinary things that become of great value,” Queiroz said. “So the number of teams qualifying for the World Cup, I’m afraid it could turn this competition into a vulgar, ordinary competition.”

Ghana was already assured of a place in the last 32 on Friday after other group results.

Africa was given nine automatic spots for the 48-team tournament, which was to be decided between 53 competing countries. Then the Democratic Republic of Congo became the tenth African qualifier through the play-offs between the confederations.

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Still, Queiroz felt that qualifiers were losing their meaning in many regions.

“In South America right now, the brilliant success of one coach in South America cannot be qualified,” Queiroz said sarcastically, noting that more than half of the confederation’s 10 countries were allocated berths.

“Even the qualifiers in Europe and Africa are starting to lose their significance and meaning because everyone is qualified.”

Queiroz does not exactly have a long history with Ghana, who only hired him in April. However, this is his fifth World Cup as manager, with the previous four taking place in the previous 32-team format.

The first came for his native Portugal in 2010, and the next three were for Iran in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Iran is perhaps the World Cup regular with the most antagonistic view of the influence of American consumerism on FIFA and the world game.

«Today, money talks in the game. Money talks,» Queiroz said. «And this isn’t called football, it’s called moneyball. So when money starts talking, the decisions on the field start to change.»

Published on June 28, 2026