48 TEAMS, NEW VAR RULES: THE 2026 WORLD CUP REVOLUTION
The 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada brings a 48-team format and potential VAR expansion for corner kicks and second yellows. Get the analysis on FIFA's accuracy push and the IFAB vote.
The United States, Mexico, and Canada will host the 23rd edition of the world's most-watched soccer competition from June 11 to July 19. Argentina, led by Lionel Scaloni, will try to defend their title.
France, Spain, Brazil, and England, all past winners, are already in and eager to take Argentina's crown. This World Cup will be the first to have 48 teams, up from 32, and there might be other changes too.
FIFA, with Infantino at the helm, may give VAR more power, like influence over corner-kick calls, according to The Times. Infantino will present the first FIFA Peace Prize at the draw on Friday. The World Cup group could use these extra powers on a trial basis.
FIFA leaders want VAR to step in if they think a corner was wrongly given. Besides corners, they want VAR to check second yellow cards to ensure a sending-off was correct.
FIFA believes the World Cup should be very accurate in its calls, as it's a top sporting event. This change would lower the chance of mistakes. They worry a bad corner call could change the World Cup final's result, which is to be held at MetLife Stadium.
This kind of exemption has happened before. FIFA tested VAR at the Confederations Cup and Club World Cup in 2017 before the International FA Board (IFAB) approved it. FIFA's leaders, including Infantino, seem ready for a rule change.
IFAB Needs to Approve VAR Power Boost
With domestic seasons ending soon, the 48 nations will prepare for the World Cup. Any rule changes would start on June 1, perfect for the tournament. However, IFAB must be sure that giving VAR more power won't cause more delays and that video officials will make quick choices, says The Times.
IFAB includes the four British groups, each with one vote, and FIFA, with four votes. Any rule change needs at least six votes to pass. The Sun says IFAB will likely let VAR officials check second yellow cards next summer, but the corner-kick change may face pushback.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.