CONMEBOL faces an unprecedented dilemma ahead of the 2030 World Cup: what the format of the South American Qualifiers will be. In the next World Cup, the current seven spots will be maintained (six direct and one for the play-off); however, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will have their places secured as hosts, so only three direct spots and one play-off spot will remain in contention.
With the current round-robin format, only 7 teams would participate and each country would play just 6 matches, something that will have a significant impact on the federations, since they depend on the revenue caused by those matches.
This situation, in addition to the clear sporting impact, reinforces the need to redefine the system without reducing the number of matches. In this regard, Globo Esporte reported that various alternatives are already being considered, including the creation of a new tournament with its own trophy and financial prizes to determine the remaining spots.
Among the options under discussion, one of the strongest is based on the Nations League used for the 2027 Women's World Cup Qualifiers. In that format, nine teams (Brazil doesn't participate as host) compete in eight matches and the top two earn direct qualification, while the third and fourth play in the FIFA play-off.
