Germany's defeat to Japan at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar contributed to them being eliminated in the group stage, just as they were in 2018 Credit: INA FASSBENDER / AFP

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, with the expansion of the field offering opportunities to several debutants — but will FIFA’s determination to have more nations participating remove much of the jeopardy that helped make the competition so great?

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