• From 1998 to 2022 the FIFA World Cup™ was a 32-team competition

• Expanding the tournament opened up new opportunities for more teams

• Ahead of the expansion to 48 teams in 2026, FIFA.com looks back at that era

On 20 May 1994, just before the start of the first FIFA World Cup™ on US soil, FIFA took a decision that would reshape the future of the global showpiece. From the 1998 edition, which would be played in France, there would no longer be 24 teams in the final competition, but 32. Seven unforgettable and incredibly successful tournaments would follow under the new format.

With the competition now set to undergo another major change with the expansion to 48 teams for the FIFA World Cup 26™, FIFA.com looks back on a glorious chapter that drew to a close on 18 December 2022 when Argentina claimed their third crown in Qatar.

The decision to expand the FIFA World Cup to 32 teams was an undeniable success, opening up opportunities for many more countries to qualify for football’s greatest competition. No fewer than 19 teams seized their chance to make their debut on the game’s grandest stage in the 1998-2022 period:

• AFC: China PR, Japan, Qatar

• CAF: South Africa, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Togo

• Concacaf: Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago

• CONMEBOL: Ecuador

• UEFA: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Iceland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

In addition to these debutants, the seven editions between 1998 and 2022 also saw some teams that had only briefly experienced the World Cup become tournament regulars. With five appearances apiece during this era, Cameroon, Nigeria and Tunisia developed into African powerhouses, and in 2022, Morocco (three World Cup appearances in the same period) delivered even more proof of the continent’s progress by reaching the last four. It is a similar story for Asia, too, with Korea Republic putting down roots (seven appearances, including a semi-final in 2002), and both Saudi Arabia and IR Iran becoming regulars with five appearances apiece.

The expansion also gave many teams the chance to establish themselves on the global stage or to make a welcome return to the fray. It came as little surprise when Japan made it past the group stage at Qatar 2022™, but it is sometimes forgotten that the Samurai Blue only made their World Cup debut in 1998.

The decision to increase the number of slots available to Asia (four slots compared to the previous two), coupled with the stunning progress made in the Land of the Rising Sun, enabled Japan to establish themselves, and they too have been World Cup ever-presents since the expansion to 32 teams.

There are similar examples in other parts of the world. Ecuador, for example, certainly benefited from the higher number of slots available to the powerful South American zone, qualifying for the 2002 competition and three further editions since.

In Europe, where the race to qualify has always been fiercely contested, the expansion also led to more big guns securing a place at the men’s flagship event. For most people, the presence of Portugal is now almost a given as they have been at every World Cup since 2002, but it also should not be forgotten that, prior to Korea/Japan 2002™, the Portuguese had only graced two of the 16 previous editions.

Switzerland are another fine example. Although they had played in several World Cups prior to the 1970s, the expansion opened the door for them to make a welcome return. It was an opportunity that they grasped with both hands, as they too have been at every World Cup since Germany 2006. Similarly, Denmark had only made one appearance prior to the expansion, but they have qualified for five editions since that decision in 1994.

One thing that set the 32-team era apart from the previous editions is the fact that the tournament became far more inclusive under the new format. Nine teams were ever-presents between 1998 and 2022 (Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Spain), but the expansion also saw an impressive number of teams – 68 – take a seat at the table, making the World Cup even more global than ever before.

In Jamaica, for example, nobody will ever forget the incredible emotions associated with seeing the Reggae Boyz go up against Argentina and the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Ariel Ortega in 1998. Iceland, a country of just 400,000 people, also caused a sensation by qualifying for Russia 2018™. In 2010, New Zealand surprised many by remaining unbeaten and securing three draws. Having co-hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ last year, they too are now aiming to return to the pinnacle of the men’s game.

With the FIFA World Cup 26 set to host 16 more teams than Qatar 2022, the tournament will certainly keep on producing unforgettable stories. One thing is for sure: whether it is the more established teams returning to the table once more, or teams taking their very first steps on the global stage, or nations making a comeback after 26 years in the World Cup wilderness, football’s biggest tournament will once again set pulses racing across the world.

• Since 1998, the number of African teams that have qualified for a World Cup has doubled, from six to 12.

• Thirty-one European teams – more than half of all UEFA members (55) – played in at least one World Cup between 1998 and 2022.

• Eight of the 10 South American teams played in a 32-team FIFA World Cup – only Bolivia and Venezuela did not make it.

• Nine teams played in all seven editions between 1998 and 2022, closely followed by the USA and Croatia, who both appeared in six.

• As well as Switzerland, Japan and Portugal, another team that made incredible progress on the world stage between 1998 and 2022 is Australia, who have played in all five editions since 2006. In the same period, the Socceroos also joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).