At the World Cup in Qatar, the national teams can fall back on a larger squad. The FIFA Council decided on Thursday.
The World Cup in Qatar brings with it – to put it politely – unknown and unusual conditions. A bigger issue in sporting terms is the timing of the tournament. On the one hand, it takes place in the middle of the season and in winter, on the other hand, one or the other Covid failure can still be expected.
Reason enough for FIFA to promise relief for the national teams. On Thursday, the association’s council decided that the team for this World Cup can consist of up to 26 players (via sports buzzer).
The other maximum of 23 players is the new minimum. A national coach can choose and fill his team with up to 26 players. It is about giving the teams and national associations more leeway.
Of course, the enlarged squad also has an impact on the nomination list, which is prepared in advance.
While there was usually a maximum of 35 players who made it into the preliminary selection before the final squad for the tournament was decided, up to 55 players are now allowed in this list. A much bigger chance, should it be seized by the respective coaching team.
What, on the one hand, allows more flexibility in the initial planning, would later lead to significantly more and more difficult decisions. Whether and to what extent this change is used is then up to the coaches.
