Calculating tournament details

It looks like for the tournament, the total comes to 104 with both the final and third-place match considered. The duration is likely 38-40 days, returning to a similar schedule as 2010-2018, possibly 39 days. The USA, Canada, and Mexico are hosting, with travel managed through regionalized scheduling to reduce distances. There are also added concerns about player workload and club protection, with increased revenue from more games and broadcasting, along with changes in qualification spots across various regions.Exploring playoff structure

The intercontinental playoff will determine the last two spots among six teams—likely one from each confederation, excluding UEFA. The top two teams based on FIFA rankings will get byes, while four others will play in the semifinals for the final two spots. I wonder about tie probabilities in groups of four. This setup helps avoid collusion from last-two matches. For top teams, maximum matches will go from 7 to 8, since the Round of 32 adds complexity. It's interesting to see how this affects knockout stages!Analyzing tournament structure

I’m counting that if there are third-place matches, it could be 8 matches for finalists instead of the previous 7, adding one more max match. With more teams in the group stage, there’s varied quality and increased presence from mid-table confederations, leading to Cinderella stories, but the average quality might decrease. Tri-nation hosting introduces stadium size and climate variations, and FIFA is likely increasing rest days between matches. This could help with fatigue and integrate players’ off-seasons better, all while considering logistics, costs, and environmental impact.Expanding qualification allocations

For the upcoming 48-team tournament, qualification will see some interesting changes. UEFA will increase from 13 to 16 spots, while AFC will expand from 4.5 to 8.5. CAF's spots will rise from 5 to 9.5, and CONMEBOL will go from 4.5 to 6. CONCACAF will now have 6 plus hosts, and OFC will increase from 0.5 to 1.5. The intercontinental playoff will include 6 teams, with one from each confederation plus an additional one from the host confederation.