Pakistan, July 12 -- When four-time World Cup winners Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament, then head coach Gennaro Gattuso lamented that Africa had so many places at the global showcase.

"Africa deserves fewer World Cup slots," he said, referring to the number of automatic qualifying places allocated to that continent rising from five to nine in an expanded 48-nation event.

It became 10 when the Democratic Republic of Congo won an inter-continental play-off and returned to the World Cup after 52 years.

Was Gattuso, a midfielder in the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning team, correct? Was Africa over represented in the United States, Canada and Mexico?

Apart from a disastrous showing by Tunisia, who axed coach Sabri Lamouchi af...