If the quota of 4.5 in South America was almost equal to 5 before the World Cup expansion, then the quota of 6.5 in South America was probably only 6.5 in South America after the expansion.

The South American World Cup qualifiers have long ended, with 6 teams directly shortlisted for the 2026 World Cup, and Bolivia will participate in the Intercontinental Playoffs. In terms of proportion, the biggest beneficiary of the expansion of the World Cup is South American football. After all, there are only 10 teams here, and 6.5 places means the promotion rate is as high as 60% to 70%. Two-thirds of the teams in a region can play in the World Cup, which is something that Europe, Asia, and Africa dare not even think about.

In fact, even before the expansion of the army, the 4.5 quota in South America was enough to make other continents envious, which was equivalent to a promotion rate of about 50%. Considering that South American football is strong overall, the fifth place in the World Cup qualifiers will participate in the Intercontinental Playoffs with a very high winning rate. So it can also be said that 4.5 places are almost equivalent to 5 places. Since the 21st century, most of the South American teams participating in the Intercontinental Playoffs have taken the last bus of the World Cup. Remember the scene where Uruguay swept Jordan 5-0 in two rounds in the play-off? The gap is too big. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers play-off, Uruguay was eliminated by Australia and has always been defined as an unpopular. In fact, Australia's lineup was really good back then, with Schwarzer, Cahill, Viduca, and Cowell among other famous players, but Uruguay also has more famous stars such as Recoba Montero. This is also one of the few South American teams falling into the play-offs.

However, after the expansion of the army, it seems difficult to say that the quota of 6.5 is equivalent to 7. 6.5 is 6.5, and you can't round it with confidence like before. Because, South America is seventh, and when encountering playoff teams on other continents, it may be at most a 50-5 situation. In fact, the overall ups and downs of South American football in recent years. Except for Argentina and Brazil, other teams are mixed in the same circle, and are often high and low, making it difficult to position them. In the last World Cup qualifier, Peru was eliminated by Australia in the playoffs. Of course, this is also an upset. However, it can also be seen that the second-tier teams in South America seem to have no obvious advantage compared to the strong teams on other continents. As for Bolivia, which qualifies for the playoffs this time, what impressed them the most may be the plateau advantage at home. In fact, this team is really average and often loses big scores in the World Cup qualifiers. Moreover, the current World Cup Intercontinental Playoffs is a decisive victory or defeat and is played on a neutral ground. Therefore, Bolivia's plateau advantage cannot be used at all. Such a team may still be at a disadvantage when encountering second-tier teams in Africa and Asia. Therefore, 6.5 is 6.5, which is difficult to be equated with 7. Not only Bolivia, but also Venezuela, the difficult households in the World Cup, have no experience in participating so far. They also have no advantages compared to second-tier teams on other continents. Not to mention Chile, whose strength has fallen to the bottom. There are 6.5 places in South America, which is really enough. In addition to strong teams such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, other South American teams are actually similar in strength and similar in style. Instead of shortlisting these teams for the World Cup, it is better to allow new forces with strong and highly recognizable participation in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In short, from now on, South American teams will no longer have any advantages in the Intercontinental Play-offs in the World Cup in the future. The only gimmick in the South American World Cup is Venezuela, the only team in South America that has not entered the World Cup, will it be shortlisted? There are 48 teams in the World Cup, with 6 seats in South America, which is really enough.