The group stage of the 2022 World Cup featured intense drama as all four teams played at the same time. However, since the final tournament will now feature 48 teams instead of 32, FIFA needs to find a new system. In January 2017, the FIFA Council voted to expand the number of participating teams in the World Cup. They also approved a format that would place the 48 teams into 16 groups of three teams, with the top two teams advancing to a round of 32.
At a press conference for the FIFA Technical Study Group, Wenger stated that three possibilities were being considered. There could be 12 groups of four teams in addition to the three-team option, with the best third-place teams progressing with the top two. The World Cup might also be divided into two different halves of 24, each with six groups of four teams. In the final, the winners of each half would compete.