There are a lot of things that need to happen before teams gather in Qatar, even though the World Cup in Qatar begins on November 20 at 11 a.m. ET. The first is on Friday, October 21, when all 32 countries must name their 55-player provisional squads. The final 26-man rosters will be drawn from this group of squads.
These preliminary lineups used to consist of 35 players, but after the FIFA council meeting in June, that number was increased to 55 to account for the unique circumstances that a winter World Cup brings with it. The likelihood of injuries will increase since most club clubs have 5-8 matches left in their schedules with teams already in the middle of their seasons.
November 13th is the deadline for when a final roster of 26 is needed. That roster can be chosen from the initial 55 but no one from outside of the previously listed 55 can be selected. If there are injuries to anyone on the final 26-man roster, those changes can be made from the provisional roster until a day before a team’s first match of the tournament. The players who are selected for the final roster must be released by their clubs by November 14th.
Due to the addition of five substitutes, the 26-man rosters represent an increase from the 23-man rosters previously in use. Due to the extra mileage the players’ legs have to travel throughout the season, this enables the bench to have 15 players instead of the usual 12.