World Cup 2026: Why have so many of the biggest countries not qualified?

“The men’s World Cup is bigger than ever. Next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada will feature 48 nations, up from the previous 32-team format. Last month, Cape Verde — whose 525,000 inhabitants make it the second-smallest country by population ever to qualify — joined Jordan and Uzbekistan as first-time participants. Despite the expanded tournament doubling the number of participating nations from the U.S.-held edition in 1994, seven (eight if Nigeria fail to qualify) of the 10 most populous nations have not qualified. …”
NY Times/The Athletic