Fresh concerns over FIFA's integrity emerge as a rule change gave the top four seeded countries an easier route to the World Cup finalRaff Tindale07:30, 09 Jul 2026A FIFA rule change last year has led to speculation that football’s governing body wanted to ensure top-ranked countries remain in the World Cup for as long as possible.‌The new rule, announced in November 2025, guaranteed that the top four seeded countries would be unable to meet each other until the semi-finals of this summer’s World Cup.‌At the time, Spain were the first seed and Argentina the second, with the two thus ‘paired’ and placed into groups in opposite halves of the draw.‌France and England rounded out the top four seeds, and were thus also ‘paired’ and placed on opposite sides of the draw, meaning the Three Lions would not come up against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals and France until the final.However, this rule change was contingent on group stage results and would only be realised if each of the four nations won their group. Such results came to pass, and consequently each of the four nations are in the quarter-finals but with a different opponent:Spain vs Belgium‌Argentina vs SwitzerlandFrance vs MoroccoEngland vs Norway‌When two teams are paired, the nature of the rule means they cannot meet each other until the final. This also happens at Wimbledon and in the new Champions League format. The same ranking system was used for the Club World Cup last summer, which Premier League side Chelsea won after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.FIFA’s desire to ensure the top-ranked countries do not meet in the early knockout stages is clear, and this summer’s World Cup has transpired in such a way that the governing body got its wish.‌Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletterIndeed, each of the aforementioned nations are the undisputed favourites to win their quarter-final tie, a scenario in which two blockbuster semi-finals between top-ranked nations would be realised: Spain vs France and Argentina vs England.The governing body is no stranger to accusations that it favours top-ranked teams. In fact, Egypt’s World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina is the most recent instalment in this trend.‌Mirror Football understands that Egypt will submit an official complaint to FIFA following the performance of referee Francois Letexier during their Round of 16 matchup against Lionel Scaloni’s side.The Pharaohs were eliminated from the competition as La Albiceleste completed a dramatic three-goal comeback in 14 minutes to book their spot in the last eight. The team felt Letexier played an integral role in their loss with two game-changing decisions going Argentina’s way.‌Egypt are now seeking an explanation on the referee’s “controversial” decisions and have called for an investigation into the matter, while also demanding that the French officiating team, who presided over their loss, be removed from their positions for the remainder of the tournament.Hossam Hassan, Egypt's manager, did not hesitate to accuse the governing body of favouring Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi. “Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”Hassan went on to allege that the governing body had determined to keep Argentina and Messi in the tournament. “It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champions of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist [in the tournament],” he suggested.Article continues below“I wish we could be happier with the loss. Thank God for everything but football is different from what happens in the stadium when we are playing against the world champions.”Indeed, while results may very well play out to realise FIFA’s dream semi-final lineup, each of the top four-ranked nations undoubtedly has a formidable opponent standing in their way, with no doubt that progressing to the final four will be far from an easy task.