Khaberni - FIFA announced on Wednesday that it will allow each team to include 26 players in its squad for the upcoming World Cup, the same number that was adopted in Qatar 2022.
FIFA stated on its website that the participating federations in the tournament, which includes 48 teams, will provide it with a preliminary list of between 35 and 55 players, including four goalkeepers. This provisional list will be used for internal purposes only and will not be published.
FIFA clarified that the final list will contain between 23 to 26 players, including three goalkeepers, and will be announced on June 2nd.
FIFA added in a statement: A player in the final list can only be replaced by a player from the preliminary list, and only in the case of a serious injury or severe illness, to be acted upon no later than 24 hours before their team's first match in the 2026 World Cup.
It continued: A goalkeeper from the final list can be replaced by another goalkeeper from the preliminary list in the event of a serious injury or severe illness, at any time during the tournament.
Any team among the participating teams can announce its list at any time, but it is not considered official until it is approved on June 2nd.
From 1930 to 1998 in France, teams were allowed to register 22 players in the final lists, and in the 2002 Korea and Japan edition, the number was raised to 23 players, which continued until Qatar 2022 when the lists were increased to 26 players.
Eight Arab teams are participating in the extended version hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11th to July 19th, including four African teams (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco) and the same number of Asian teams (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan).
