Al Malaeb newspaper – European teams are preparing next week for the last international break in 2025, which will be decisive in determining the final qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Although the Italian national team’s position seems complicated in its struggle with Norway, which leads the group, given the large difference in goals between the two teams, there is a new glimmer of hope that may come from FIFA and revive the hopes of the “Azzurri” before the World Cup.
An upcoming amendment to the World Cup draw system
As revealed by the Calcioefinanza website, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is studying the possibility of amending the method of distributing the qualified teams in the levels of the World Cup draw, which is scheduled to be held in Washington on December 5.
According to the current system, the teams that qualify through the European playoff are automatically placed in the fourth level, regardless of their ranking in the FIFA world rankings, while the rest of the teams are distributed in the first three levels according to their ranking in the last classification issued before the draw.
However, if the proposed amendment is adopted, all teams, including those qualifying from the playoffs, will be classified according to their ranking in the FIFA classification, without any exception.
If Italy is able to overcome the playoffs and qualify for the World Cup, according to its current ranking in the FIFA classification, it will be in the first level alongside the strongest teams, which will allow it to avoid facing the adults in the group stage and get an easier start in the tournament.
It is noteworthy that this system, if implemented, will be a fundamental change compared to what was adopted in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Possible modification will bring sequential changes in the classification of levels; It may lead to Germany being relegated to the second level, becoming one of the teams that can face the first-tier teams in the groups, and teams such as Austria, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, and Nigeria could also advance to the third level.
Although the matter is still in the study stage within the corridors of FIFA, the final decision must be made in the coming weeks, before the date of the draw scheduled for December, which makes the coming days crucial in determining the form of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, and perhaps in charting Italy’s path to the tournament.
