What Would the World Cup Look Like with No UEFA Nations?

What Would the World Cup Look Like with No UEFA Nations?

The World Cup has been over for almost a month now; however, there is still a lot of drama. Of course, that drama comes because of one man: Gianni Infantino. His name is still in the headlines.

So, why is he in the headlines? Well, that’s simple. FIFA is a non-profit organisation. I know, a shock, but it is. Until Infantino decided he wanted to change that. You see, when FIFA was created, it was agreed that no one could own football, so no one had any shares in it. However, Infantino now wants to change that. That started everything. Now, UEFA has announced that no nations from Europe will take part in anything FIFA-related until this idea is dead in the water.

The battle for FIFA's future is heating up. 🌍⚽

Football associations across the world are choosing where they stand on Gianni Infantino's future. 👀 pic.twitter.com/MV0zHDs3dK

— SPORF (@Sporf) August 7, 2026

Now that the history lesson is over, we can answer the question that comes after this. What would a World Cup look like if there were no UEFA nations?

UEFA gets the most nations qualified, with a total of 16 spots. This means that between North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, we would see the spaces spread out. Based on the size of the nation’s already going to a World Cup, we have split them up.

OFC +1 AFC +5 CAF +5 CONCACAF +2 CONMEBOL +3 Who Would These Nations Be?

OFC

Based on the last qualification campaign, the added place for OFC would go to New Caledonia. They would be taking the place of one European nation, as they were the side that faced New Zealand for qualification from Oceania.

AFC

The nations that would make the World Cup would be the UAE, Oman, Indonesia, China, and Bahrain. These are some of the highest-ranked nations in the AFC that weren’t already in the World Cup. Not only this, but they were also among the closest teams to reaching the 2026 World Cup.

CAF

This is where some heavy-hitting nations come into play. Some of these would actually be good replacements for European nations.

Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Some very strong nations, and some who could have a long run in the World Cup.

CONCACAF

We are back to only two nations being added. These ones are teams that could cause a level of upset. They are Jamaica and Suriname.

Both sides were so close to being at the 2026 World Cup and would be invited if Europe dropped out.

CONMEBOL

The continent with what would be the most winners without Europe. South America would be adding three more nations on top of the six they already have. These nations would be Bolivia, Venezuela, and Chile.

Some strong nations and ones with history within the continent that would be hoping to put themselves on a world stage.

What Would The Outcome Be?

Now that we have the new 16 nations in the World Cup, we must find out what the outcome would be.

Let’s begin with the fact that while we have added new nations, most won’t add much. However, there are some that would cause damage.

What Would The Groups Look Like?

Group A

Group A would be unchanged, with all three top sides being outside of UEFA. Therefore, we will keep this the same.

Group B

This is where the first changes come in. Both Switzerland and Bosnia are UEFA nations and would need to be removed. We will add Cameroon and Bolivia. We would likely see Canada top, with Cameroon second and Bolivia third.

Group C

We would see only Scotland replaced. We will swap them with the UAE. The top three would likely be Brazil, Morocco, and the UAE.

Group D

Once again, one team needs to leave. This time it is Turkey, and we will swap them for Venezuela.

The top three would more than likely stay the same moving forward.

Group E

Group E sees the first big nation swap. No Germany anymore. Instead, we will be seeing Chile come in.

The top three changes slightly. We believe Ecuador will top the group, followed by Ivory Coast and then Chile.

Group F

We say goodbye to two nations here. The Netherlands and Sweden leave, and we bring in Oman and Gabon.

This is where we see a lot of change. Japan tops the group, followed by Tunisia and Gabon.

Group G Belgium is gone, and Mali comes in.

We will likely see Egypt top, followed by Iran and Mali.

Group H

The winners are now gone. Spain are out, and Nigeria are in.

Believe it or not, we believe Uruguay will win the group, with Nigeria second and Cape Verde third.

Group I

France and Norway make way for Jamaica and China.

Senegal should walk this group. We then see Jamaica and Iraq finishing third.

Group J We see Austria take their exit. We bring in New Caledonia.

All three existing nations will make it through here.

Argentina top, Algeria second, and Jordan third.

Group K

Ronaldo and Portugal leave. Indonesia comes in.

This one sees Colombia top again, with Uzbekistan taking second. DR Congo stays third.

Group L

England are staying home, and Croatia are joining them.

In comes Bahrain and Suriname.

Ghana tops this group, followed by Panama and then Suriname.

Third-Place Nations

The third-placed nations are: Chile DR Congo Cape Verde Mali Gabon Australia Suriname Bolivia

Round of 32

Argentina vs Mexico – Argentina wins

Brazil vs Suriname – Brazil wins

Canada vs Cape Verde – Canada wins

USA vs Chile – USA wins

Uruguay vs Gabon – Uruguay wins

Ecuador vs Australia – Ecuador wins

Japan vs Mali – Japan wins

Egypt vs DR Congo – DR Congo wins

Senegal vs Panama – Senegal wins

Colombia vs Iran – Colombia wins

Ghana vs South Korea – South Korea wins

South Africa vs Tunisia – South Africa wins

Morocco vs Nigeria – Morocco wins Cameroon vs Uzbekistan – Uzbekistan wins

Algeria vs Jamaica – Algeria wins

Ivory Coast vs Paraguay – Ivory Coast wins

Some very interesting results. However, one thing we notice is that none of the nations that we added managed to advance. Nigeria had a very unfortunate fixture against Morocco and saw the end of their World Cup.

Round of 16

Argentina vs Colombia – Argentina wins

Brazil vs Canada – Brazil wins

USA vs Uruguay – USA wins

Ecuador vs Japan – Japan wins

Senegal vs South Korea – Senegal wins

Morocco vs South Africa – Morocco wins

Algeria vs DR Congo – DR Congo wins

Ivory Coast vs Uzbekistan – Uzbekistan wins

What a World Cup Uzbekistan is having. They are causing some issues. Can they carry on, or will the next nation be one step too far?

Quarter-finals

Argentina vs Brazil – Argentina wins

Uruguay vs Japan – Japan wins

Senegal vs Morocco – Morocco wins

DR Congo vs Uzbekistan – DR Congo wins

The end for Uzbekistan. They had an amazing tournament. However, we have seen the first true juggernaut go down. Brazil drawing Argentina was something that made these semi-finals interesting.

Semi-finals

Argentina vs Japan – Argentina wins

DR Congo vs Morocco – Morocco wins

Third-Place Play-off

Japan vs DR Congo – Japan wins

We see our first massive change. Rather than bowing out in the Round of 32, Japan managed to make it all the way to the semi-finals without European nations.

While Argentina was still in the tournament, they still took third place. One massive change.

Final

Argentina vs Morocco – Morocco wins

Now that is a change.

No Europe in the way, and Morocco have gone all the way. For two World Cups now, a nation from Europe has stopped them (France), but now they find success.

Argentina once again saw an easier route to the final; however, Morocco just proved that they are one of the best teams in the world.

What Is The Main Change?

The main change is that the groups are easier, and the route to the later stages is also easier.

However, one major change is that Africa has a lot more success. They have more nations in the tournament, and it allows their stronger teams to show themselves more.

Morocco proved that they are one of the best nations in this simulation where Europe has taken a back seat.