Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qualifier - Costa Rica v New Zealand - Al Rayyan Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - June 14, 2022 General view inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register June 23 (Reuters) - Teams will be able to select up to 26 players for this year's World Cup after global soccer's governing body FIFA increased the maximum squad limit by three on Thursday. FIFA said the change was due to the unusual timing of the tournament as well as the impact of COVID-19 on squads. The showpiece event in Qatar will run from Nov. 21-Dec. 18. "The number of players to be included on the final list has been increased to at least 23 and a maximum of 26," it said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register "No more than 26 people (up to 15 substitutes and 11 team officials) will be allowed to sit on the team bench." UEFA took a similar decision last year, allowing sides to pick three extra players for the European Championship due to the pandemic. The International Football Association Board this month gave the green light to the use of five substitutions in matches, which was initially introduced as a tweak to the rules because of COVID-19. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Fifa approves increase to 26-player squads for Qatar World Cup
Gareth Southgate and Rob Page will be able to call on every member of their England and Wales squads for each match at the World Cup later this year. Earlier this month the game’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board, approved an increase in the maximum number of players allowed on the bench from 12 to 15. This amendment has now been adopted by World Cup organisers Fifa, which means all 15 players not picked to start can now be on the bench. Southgate said following the World Cup draw in April that being forced to leave three players out from each matchday squad at Euro 2020 had been detrimental to morale. “If the squads are going to be bigger then it needs to be a situation where everybody is able to change on a match day,” he said. “Whether a bigger squad is necessary... originally that was for Covid, there’s now people talking about the condensed fixtures. “I still think it’s a bigger skill to pick a 23 and to work all that out. But I think everybody has to be available for all the games.” At the Euros, Jadon Sancho was controversially excluded from the 23 available for the opening match against Croatia despite coming into the tournament off the back of an excellent club season with Borussia Dortmund. Phil Foden, Ben White and Ben Chilwell were the three who missed out on the squad for the final against Italy. Fifa said the decision to allow 26-man squads - initially brought in to help manage the disruption to the calendar caused by Covid-19 - had been taken due to the “unique timing” of the Qatar finals, which take place in the middle of the traditional European football season. Fifa confirmed that November 13 will be the last day that any player selected for their country’s World Cup squad will be able to play for their club. That date will be the final day of Premier League action until Boxing Day. Football’s world governing body has also confirmed its presidential election would take place at the Fifa Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 16 next year. Current incumbent Gianni Infantino said earlier this year that he would stand for re-election.
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