We’re not really in a rush to require PHP 8.
Requiring PHP 8 would mean leaving behind users on older versions of PHP, particularly those on hosting providers not yet offering PHP 8.
This is a handy chart to consider:
55% of WordPress users are running PHP 7.4, and only 17% are on PHP 8.x.
PHP 8 will be fully supported when it’s ready, and the page you found is the most up-to-date info:
“Beta support” for PHP 8 means we might still find some bugs, but we’re relatively sure it’s ready. If you run into any bugs, please let us know:
Keep in mind that just because WordPress supports PHP 8, it doesn’t mean your theme or any of the plugins you rely on will.
PHP 8 will be required when it is absolutely necessary and impacts a minimum of users. (Our minimum PHP requirement is still 5.6.20.)
That is an awesome, and very thorough response. Thank you so much!!