Asia's Biggest Football Failure Despite a Doubled World Cup Allocation

Australia's exit at the 2026 World Cup left Asia without a representative and prompted fresh criticism of FIFA's expanded 48-team format.

The continent entered the tournament with a record nine teams, but seven went out in the group stage. Reuters said the wider allocation had not changed the underlying problem: Asian sides still struggled against established football nations.

Only Australia and Japan reached the round of 16. Australia were knocked out by Egypt, while Japan lost to Brazil.

The result was framed by the Asian Football Confederation's website as evidence that the extra places had not helped the region in the way FIFA intended. Instead, the tournament ended with another familiar pattern for Asia — more entrants, but no real shift in performance against the game's biggest powers.