Negotiations on how 16 extra World Cup slots will be allocated amongst FIFA's six confederations are to begin next month following the unanimous decision in Zurich to expand the tournament from 32 teams to 48.
There was little disagreement amongst the 37-member FIFA Council when they voted for the increase but discussions may not be so cordial when the discussion begins on how many slots their regions will receive for the 2026 tournament, when the changes come into effect.
Alexjandro Dominguez, FIFA Council member and CONMEBOL president, told ESPN FC: "The real work gets underway next month when we start the process of allocating World Cup slots to the confederations. Each of us has a wish list in our minds and want to ensure that our teams do well from an expanded tournament.
"The decision to increase the tournament to 48 is fantastic for football and I do not think that the quality of matches will be affected. It is the fans and the game as a whole who are the real winners but at the same time, all the confederations want to benefit from this move."
FIFA Council member Kohzo Tashima, who represents the Asian Football Confederation and is also president of the Japan Football Association said: "Asia would like to have an extra three slots and we have made our wishes clear but all this is up for discussion.
"We will sit down with other members of the FIFA family to find a solution. We are delighted with the 48-team format because it is positive for the game and gives nations more opportunities to participate in the World Cup but we need to make sure that all FIFA members benefit from an expanded tournament."
CONCACAF president and FIFA Council member Victor Montagliani told ESPN FC: "CONCACAF does not want to reveal how many extra places it would like although we have a figure in mind. But every confederation is going to gain extra places so the important question is how many?"
Under the allocation of World Cup places for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, Africa has 5; Asia 4.5; Europe 13; North, Central America and the Caribbean 3.5; Oceania 0.5; South America 4.5 and one place for the host.
Following the vote in Zurich, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told the media: "No guarantees have been made about how many extra slots each confederation will receive. Some discussions have already taken place and others will take place shortly. This is one of the biggest issues facing us and a very important topic.
"Firstly, we wanted to resolve the format of the 2026 tournament and we have successfully done this. Our concern was that we did not want to add to the playing calender and did not want to increase the burden on players. FIFA has achieved this.
"We are in the 21st Century and football is more than just Europe and South America. Football is global and expanding the World Cup will help with the development of the game. The extra money the tournament generates will be reinvested back into football."
Under the new format the 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups of three, playing two games each with the top two advancing to the knockout stages. There will be a total of 80 games, compared to 64 in the current 32-team tournament.
As with the existing World Cup, the tournament will take place over 32 days across 12 venues and teams reaching the last four will play seven matches as they currently do.
Infantino revealed that FIFA had not yet decided if penalty shootouts would be introduced for drawn matches in the group stages, following concerns that teams may contrive results in their second games. He said FIFA may also use world ranking as a means to establish winners.
Infantino added: "There are different models for deciding which teams can win matches or progress to the next round. Penalties is one option but so is ranking. These are matters that will be dealt with closer to the tournament.
"My personal view is that it's interesting to have something on the pitch that determines the result."
Infantino said: "Countries that could have never dreamt of playing in the World Cup now have an opportunity to participate in this amazing tournament. The football fever you will have in nations that qualify is the most powerful promotion for football and will help with the game's development. This was at the top of our thoughts when we made this great decision."