This World Cup will be participated by 36 countries from the previous 32 participants in the final round. This opens up opportunities for several countries to be able to taste their first World Cup. One that I follow is Asia. Asia will get more slots than usual, 8 countries + half that must go through the playoffs first. With this new format, of course several countries have very high motivation to be able to be in the 2026 World Cup. Asia itself is undergoing the 3rd qualifying round and still has several more matches left.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will actually feature 48 countries and not the 36 you said. That'll be the first time the competition will feature more than 32 teams and just like you rightly said, the new format gives room for participation from low ranked football nations. I'm more concerned about the African continent that's not been able produce a World Cup winner. Could this be an opportunity for an African country to conquer the world? I'll definitely love to see that happen and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants that.