If the FIFA World Cup had expanded to 64 teams instead of 32 beginning in 1998, dozens of additional nations would have reached football’s biggest stage. While the strongest teams would still have qualified comfortably, the biggest winners are nations that consistently hovered just outside the qualification line.
Using every World Cup qualification cycle from 1998 through 2026, these are the nations that would have gained the most additional appearances under a 64-team format. They also stand to be the teams that would benefit the most if the tournament were expanded.
Egypt
CAF (6 additional appearances)
Egypt‘s record perfectly illustrates how unforgiving African qualification has traditionally been. Despite winning a record number of Africa Cup of Nations titles, the Pharaohs qualified for only 2018 during the 32-team era. Several qualification campaigns ended by a single goal, a penalty shootout, or a narrow group defeat, including heartbreaking playoff losses before both the 2014 and 2022 World Cups.
Ukraine
UEFA (6 additional appearances)
Ukraine would have benefited from a 64-team tournament more than any other European country. Since becoming independent in the 1990s, Ukraine has consistently been a strong national team. However, they qualified for only one World Cup in 2006, where they even reached the quarter-finals. Ukraine repeatedly lost in UEFA play-offs or finished just behind group winners during qualification.
Uzbekistan
AFC (6 additional appearances)
Uzbekistan has been one of Asia’s perennial “almost” teams. They regularly reached the final stages of AFC qualifying, often finishing only a few points—or even one match—away from qualification for the World Cup. However, their long-awaited first qualification finally came for 2026, confirming the consistency the Central Asian team had shown for years.
United Arab Emirates
AFC (6 additional appearances)
United Arab Emirates spent decades narrowly missing another World Cup after appearing at Italia ’90. They frequently advanced deep into Asian qualifying but fell just short against regional heavyweights such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Iran. A larger tournament would almost certainly have brought multiple return appearances.
Jamaica
CONCACAF (6 additional appearances)
Jamaica‘s memorable debut in the 1998 World Cup proved they could compete internationally, but returning proved difficult. The Reggae Boyz consistently remained competitive in CONCACAF qualifying, often reaching the final qualifying rounds before falling just outside the available places. Expansion would likely establish Jamaica as a regular World Cup participant.
Zambia
CAF (6 additional appearances)
Zambia has never participated in the World Cup, despite being one of Africa’s strongest teams. The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations champions regularly reached the later stages of CAF qualifying but were repeatedly eliminated by stronger regional rivals. Their competitiveness over multiple decades suggests they would have qualified frequently had more places been available.
Burkina Faso
CAF (6 additional appearances)
Burkina Faso developed into one of Africa’s emerging powers during the 2000s and 2010s, finishing runners-up at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reaching several final qualifying rounds. Despite consistently competing with Africa’s best teams, they never broke through under CAF’s restrictive qualification system for the World Cup.
Qatar
AFC (5 additional appearances)
Qatar is one of Asia’s fastest-improving football nations. Before qualifying automatically as 2022 hosts, they regularly reached advanced qualifying rounds and came surprisingly close as far back as the 1990 qualifiers. Winning the 2019 AFC Asian Cup demonstrated that their rise was built on long-term development rather than hosting alone.
Sweden
UEFA (4 additional appearances)
Sweden have traditionally been one of Europe’s strongest football nations, making their absence from several recent World Cups somewhat surprising. They often lost in UEFA play-offs, including losing to Portugal (2014) and Poland (2022), or they finished behind elite nations in qualifying groups. Their repeated near misses would have disappeared under a larger tournament.
Czech Republic
UEFA (4 additional appearances)
Czech Republic inherited one of Europe’s strongest football traditions after the breakup of Czechoslovakia. Although they qualified in 2006, several other campaigns ended in playoff defeats or second-place group finishes. Their consistent high FIFA ranking suggests they were stronger than their World Cup appearances indicate.
Austria
UEFA (4 additional appearances)
Austria frequently finished behind Europe’s elite while remaining comfortably ahead of many other UEFA nations in World Cup qualifying. Strong generations during the late 2010s and early 2020s repeatedly came close before eventually returning to the World Cup in 2026, the first time since 1998. Austria is much more likely to make additional World Cups if it is expanded to 64 teams.
Colombia
CONMEBOL (4 additional appearances)
Colombia qualified multiple times under the 32-team format, however they also narrowly missed several tournaments despite being one of South America’s strongest national teams. In CONMEBOL’s highly competitive league-style qualifying, even established football powers can miss out by a small margin. Their closest miss was 2022, finishing one point behind the intercontinental playoff place.
Peru
CONMEBOL (4 additional appearances)
Peru experienced a long World Cup drought before qualifying in 2018, but several other campaigns ended only a few points short. Their competitiveness in South America’s demanding qualification system means additional places would likely have produced several more appearances. Their closest miss came in 2022, when they lost the intercontinental playoff to Australia on penalties.
Ireland
UEFA (4 additional appearances)
Ireland were regular World Cup participants in the 1990s and repeatedly came close without qualifying after 2002. Several campaigns ended in playoff defeats, including painful losses to France and Denmark, despite remaining highly competitive throughout qualifying. An expansion to a 64-team format would make it much more likely for Ireland to compete in the World Cup.
Iraq
AFC (4 additional appearances)
Iraq‘s qualification campaigns have been uniquely difficult, due to political instability, wars, and years of playing home matches abroad. Even so, Iraq consistently remained competitive in Asian qualifying, regularly reaching the final stages often before finally earning a World Cup appearance in 2026. Their only other appearance in the World Cup was back in 1986.
China
AFC (4 additional appearances)
China‘s only World Cup appearance came in 2002, but they regularly entered qualifying with high expectations. Several campaigns saw China remain in contention until the later stages before falling short. They recently reached the final AFC qualifying round in both 2018 and 2022. A 64-team World Cup would give China’s national team a much bigger chance to qualify.
Venezuela
CONMEBOL (4 additional appearances)
Venezuela are the only nation in CONMEBOL to never to have qualified for the World Cup, but this is mostly due to the fact that South America is a very difficult region to compete in. Several qualification campaigns ended with Venezuela remaining in close contention. In fact, they finished 6th in CONMEBOL in 2014, only a few points outside the playoff position.
Oman
AFC (4 additional appearances)
Oman quietly established themselves as one of Asia’s most consistent national teams. They were amongst the top 10 in AFC qualifying in 2002, 2014, 2022, and 2026, often finishing only one or two places outside qualification. While they never reached a World Cup under the 32-team format, an expansion would almost certainly have changed that.