Skip to main content

FIFA Rule Change On World Cup Squad Sizes Means 92 Extra Players Can Go To Qatar

FIFA has confirmed that national teams can take squads of 26 players to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Previous editions had only allowed 23-man squads.

There will therefore be 92 more players - three extra players from each of the 32 participating nations - going to the 2022 World Cup than went to Russia in 2018.

The FIFA World Cup trophy is pictured on display before the 2018 final

FIFA has announced that nations can take 26 players to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

UEFA made a similar change ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament last summer.

The decision by European soccer's governing body was made to mitigate the risk of teams facing a shortage of available players due to possible positive COVID tests.

A major difference between Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup will be the number of players permitted to be registered in a matchday squad.

At the Euros managers had to cut three members of their 26-man squad for each game because they could only name 12 substitutes.

But at the upcoming World Cup FIFA will allow teams to name 15 subs per match.

Five of those subs will be allowed onto the pitch for the first time in World Cup history.