It's the second anniversary of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and qualifying for the 2026 tournament is taking shape.
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00:00Exactly two years on from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the qualification protest
00:05has begun for the next one in 2026, which will be held across three countries. The
00:10expanded 48-team tournament provides potential for nations to make it to
00:14their first ever World Cup. So, who is in the box seat to make an appearance? And
00:19who may be left behind?
00:23Hello and welcome to Football Now from the Albeit Stadium in Qatar. It was in
00:30this very stadium two years ago now that Qatar hosted the iconic opening ceremony
00:35for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With just 18 months to go until the next edition,
00:40attentions have now shifted to 2026 and there are already qualifying matches
00:44underway in most confederations. There is still everything to play for, so let's
00:49take a look at some of the stories so far. Here in Asia, four teams went unbeaten
00:54in the first four games of AFC World Cup qualifying matches. Continental
00:59heavyweights Iran, South Korea and Japan. The surprise fourth team on this list is
01:03Uzbekistan, who are placed 58th in FIFA's world rankings and have never qualified
01:08for the tournament before. After winning the Asian Cup back in February, Qatar's
01:12bid to qualify again for the World Cup has faltered so far. All is not lost, but
01:17what is causing the back-to-back Asian champions to stutter in their
01:20qualification for 2026? I think that when you're coming in this group, for example
01:25in Asia Cup, this is a completely different tournament. You cannot compare
01:28their qualification and the tournament from Asia Cup. In Asia Cup, you must win
01:32every game every way. Here you can calculate a little. You must play at home
01:37and win outside on draw. This is something what many teams can calculate.
01:41We all support these teams to go to the World Cup. To qualify to the World Cup,
01:46the level is different. The competition is different. It's not like Asian Cup.
01:51The Asian Cup, we have two weeks preparation before the Asian Cup and we
01:55start very good and the things going fast. Each three, four days, game, game,
02:00game. Finally, we took the trophy and now it's different. We play two games, then
02:04we come back to the league. So like I say, it was a bad start for us. Let's head
02:10to South America now as Argentina are set to qualify again with ease as they
02:14look to defend the title they won here in Qatar. La Alba Celeste sit comfortably
02:20at the top of the Comnibol World Cup qualification table and look likely to
02:24be the first team outside of the three host nations to secure their place at
02:28the 2026 World Cup. Peru are at the bottom but have key fixtures against
02:33Bolivia and Venezuela to come in March as they attempt to propel themselves
02:37into the final round of playoffs. Powerhouse Brazil have lost more matches
02:42in this qualification campaign than they did in the previous four combined.
02:46They are still the only nation to make an appearance at every World Cup. But
02:50could the unthinkable happen? And could we see a tournament without La Sala
02:54sao? If this were any other World Cup, you would be genuinely concerned with
02:59the expansion to 48 with 16 going through automatically. I think Brazil
03:04will be fine if they can get their act together. There are problems producing
03:07talent in some positions. There are problems of how they're trying to set
03:11up the team but never write them off because even if it's restricted to some
03:15positions on the field, there is a depth of talent there that if they get it
03:19right and especially in a cup competition, which is all about peaking
03:22at the right time and having a little bit of luck along the way, it seems
03:26outlandish. The coach saying we will be in the World Cup final in 2026 but I'm
03:31not betting against it with my money. Africa are the confederation who have
03:35benefited the most from the expanded World Cup with an increase from 5 to 9
03:40spots available. Afghan champions Ivory Coast and 2022 World Cup semi-finalist
03:45Morocco currently lead their groups. That leaves Sudan, Rwanda and Comoros all
03:49looking to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup. One African heavyweight still
03:54struggling though is Nigeria who are currently in fifth place in Group C. They
03:58were runners-up at this year's Afghan but failing to qualify for the World Cup
04:02would be a huge shock. Can the firepower of Victor Ossiman and
04:05Anamola Luckman help to recover their form? With Nigeria it's a bit of a weird
04:09one because even though like they've only lost one so far, they've had three
04:14draws and the draws are not that great in a sense. They have a lot of squad
04:18depth right now. They have probably the best striker in Africa, Victor Ossiman,
04:21but then they might have the second best striker, Victor Bonifaz as well. So you
04:25have players to build up from. It's just that even though Nigeria is one of the
04:29most populous countries in the whole of Africa, they have that mentality where
04:32they can just feel that or they can go to Rwanda or get a result or they can go
04:35to Benin and get a result. But these teams are getting better and better and
04:38it shows how like the fact that Rwanda is topping the group right now.
04:41Well we're having to wait until March for UEFA qualifying to begin but that
04:46doesn't mean there aren't already plenty of stories breaking out across Europe,
04:50including England hiring former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel to
04:54replace the departed Gareth Southgate. So can he be the man to win the Three
04:59Lions their second ever World Cup 60 years after their first? I think they're
05:04very different. I think Gareth Southgate, he's not an easy man to follow. Well
05:08obviously the manager plays a key role, especially later on in a tournament when
05:12it comes to assessing the opponent and picking the lineup and such. But I think
05:17the reason England hasn't won in decades and decades since 66 is more it's in the
05:22heads and it's up to the players. By choosing the right leaders and giving
05:27them trust and giving them responsibility on the pitch, he can
05:31definitely improve and get closer to that goal of winning a title. But I think
05:37if England does not win a title it won't be his fault so to speak. Two years on
05:43from the amazing 2022 FIFA World Cup here in Qatar, fans are already eagerly
05:48anticipating the next one. Who will you be supporting in the USA, Canada and
05:52Mexico? Let us know using the hashtag football now 2026 World Cup. That's all
05:58we've got time for here from the Albay Stadium in Qatar. We'll see you next time.
06:02Bye for now.