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Uefa wants three more slots at expanded 2026 World Cup

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin will insist on European teams being given 16 slots, when Fifa expands the World Cup to 48 teams in 2026.

Speaking at Uefa's Nyon headquarters after a meeting of the confederation's executive committee (ExCo), Ceferin said this was a "realistic" request and the teams should be evenly distributed among the 16 three-team groups.

Uefa gets a minimum of 13 slots in the current 32-team World Cup format, but is resigned to the fact most of the new places are heading to the relatively under-represented African and Asian confederations.

The vast majority of the ExCo's business yesterday, however, was focused on matters closer to home as Ceferin received unanimous backing for the various reform ideas he campaigned on last year.

Currently, Uefa has no term limits for senior roles on its statute book, only a rule that candidates must be under 70 at the time of an election.

But the 49-year-old Slovenian wants to limit presidents and ExCo members to a maximum of three four-year terms.

He also clarified his position on ExCo members having to hold "active" roles in their national associations.

If approved at April's Uefa Congress in Helsinki, ExCo members will also have to be either president, vice-president, general secretary or CEO of their respective football associations.

Ceferin also wants to listen more closely to the clubs, so he is proposing to add two representatives from the European Club Association to the ExCo, with full voting rights.

They currently attend meetings as observers. - PA SPORT

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