Opinion
After all the drama, lies, twists and scandals that have plagued this World Cup, you would think FIFA would like to get a break from embarrassment and look ahead to the 2026 tournament with clarity and optimism.
Alas, FIFA continues to shock us with new incompetency.
Three-and-a-half years out from the next World Cup we don’t know what the format, or therefore, total number of matches will be.
In January 2017, FIFA decided to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, with 16 groups of three going through to a Round of 32.
Unsurprisingly, this was met with criticism that expanding to 48 teams will dilute the quality of teams competing and the format leaves open the risk of collusion.
Six years later, FIFA has listened.
Which, crucially, is after some of the confederation qualification pathways have already been determined (AFC and CONMEBOL) and changing the number of teams from 48 is essentially too late, conveniently leaving FIFA’s hands tied in considering other formats.
The two alternatives FIFA recently proposed would require 104 matches. That is utterly absurd. And yet is seriously being considered.
The current format has 64 matches and is already on the high side. To nearly double that would make all the matches until the late knockout rounds lose much of their spectacle.
It would also mean eight matches for the semi-finalists instead of the current seven, despite FIFA originally boasting that expanding to 48 teams doesn’t require more matches per team.
A generous and naïve evaluation would be to say FIFA simply made a mistake and are now doing their best to rectify it. However, anyone who knows a little of FIFA’s ways would suspect something worse.
The parallels with the mockery of the Qatar bid are clear. Qatar was supposedly going to host the tournament in the typical June-July window. That was the stipulation by FIFA all bids had to follow. Qatar was chosen despite the searing heat and then, three years later, the tournament was changed to a Northern Hemisphere winter for the first time ever.
(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Of course, it was conveniently too late to strip Qatar of hosting the World Cup, so a compromise was found. To stage the tournament at a time of year humane for players and fans, but creating an even more over-crowded season, a compressed World Cup with matches moving too fast for fans to keep up with, and only a week for national squads to assemble and prepare.
Now we have another compromise. Expanding to a gluttonous number of matches for the good of keeping the fair and popular four-team groups, while also expanding the workload on players and host nations.
FIFA are fortunate that the main host country, USA, are so stadium rich. Imagine a smaller nation being suddenly thrust with the requirement of hosting an additional 24 matches.
Fans cherish and adore the FIFA World Cup. It is the beautiful tournament for the beautiful game. Yet FIFA’s reckless and stubborn leadership continue to show contempt for the fans while always putting money first.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
And just like that, another A-League regular season (sans one game) is in the books and we look ahead to the finals. Let's recap…
Salah was dropped from the starting side for the visit to London - and the striker was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp…
Liverpool have fallen further out of contention for the Premier League title - but that's perhaps the least of Jurgen Klopp's problems. Just as…
Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Feyenoord for their head coach Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.…
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
Manchester City have chalked up another big win in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his…
