The positives and negatives of the expanded 48-team World Cup

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FIFA announced on Tuesday morning about a shift in the format of the World Cup commencing from 2026 to a 48-team competition, 16 more than the usual 32. The new format sees a bulk of the extra 16 spots go to African and Asian nations as FIFA look to boost the profile of the relatively “lesser” footballing nations. The addition of could also see the group stages trimmed to 16 groups of three, rather than eight groups of four, although, this remains unconfirmed. But, just like almost all of FIFA’s decisions, this one is high in the air and disliked by many. So, what makes this decision a polarizing one amongst so many football fans?

Pros

The World Cup becomes more diverse, as countries from Asia and Africa, many who may have never participated on the grandest stage in international football may finally get their chance. Take a look back to Euro 2016, where Iceland and Wales, who were beneficiaries of the extended 24 team tournament, shocked the world and produced some magnificent football and a brilliant atmosphere across France.

And as there are likely to be more nations who don’t have football as their ebb and flow, there is a greater chance of seeing an astonishing result that could result in a giant killing, and unless your team is at the end of one, who doesn’t love a giant killing? And, the potential addition of the “lesser” footballing nations could see a rise in interest in the sport amongst these countries – a move that could see an increase in development at a grassroots level and a rise in engrossment for the sport in these countries.

As for the fans, there’s going to be a greater amount of football to watch, which is amazing for the neutrals as they look to spend their summer away with some high-quality football action. There’s said to be 80 games in the tournament of 2026, 16 more than the current format which sees the tournament have 64 games. And, there’s also set to be the same number of games as in the current format (seven) for the winner.

Cons

The increased format could see the likely weakening in quality as there could be the weaker teams looking to hold back and “park the bus” as they look to get through the two group stage games and find a spot in the knockout rounds. Games could become drab and people may lose interest, as seen in 1998, when the format was last changed, going from a 24-team tournament to the current 32-team tournament.

For the 16 nations that get knocked out in the group stages, this will be an expensive outing as they could be witnessing just two nights of footballing action from their countries, that is if the 16 groups format is the way FIFA see this going ahead. There will also be a greater logistics costs for the host nations as more participants brings about more need for infrastructure as well as scheduling problems which could affect the daily routines of the host city.

And for the possible on-pitch problems, there could be a team or two getting knocked out in the most disheartening fashion. The proposed three-team group stages could be a mess if all three group games end as a draw – just like in the Kirin Cup of 2011 (a friendly tournament in Japan) where Czech Republic, Japan, and Peru had to share the honour after seeing all of their games end goalless. The only way to settle two qualifiers from a group that way could be through penalty shoot-outs, and that would be a real sucker punch for the country that has to bid goodbye.

The Wait

Time will tell whether or not this new format will be a success, but for now, fans can only hope that the expansion creates a better qualification process and can continue to debate as to whether the increase in teams for the World Cup of 2026 can be a masterstroke of a decision by President Gianni Infantino.

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