48 Team World Cup by 2026.

[Hamilton]

The World Cup has lost it's shine for me. Two corrupt tournaments coming up and then this monstrosity planned for 2026. FIFA kiling football not saving it. I'm done with International football for the time being.

I tend to agree. It's such a shame. I used to get so excited by the world cup and international football. Now, due to a mixture of corruption and, let's face it, an under-performing national side, I'm totally disinterested. That the under-performance of the national side can also be attributed to the money men in the Premier League just adds to the sour taste in my mouth. A once great game has been sullied, just as the diet of Cowellesque modern music is served up as a product that the public gorge themselves on blindly, so modern football does the same - the new opium for the masses.

For me, it's just the Albion nowadays. My team. That's all that matters. That and the plight of other fans struggling to support their teams. How I will feel next year should we be successful will be interesting. The Albion in the land of the greedy money men. I believe we will retain our soul, as I believe in TB and PB because they understand the roots of the club. No doubt many will scoff at this latter point, but I believe the current management has done what it can to compete in the modern world and stay connected to the fanbase.

 

[Wozza]

Having a round of 32, which you'd imagine will be the roughly the entire contingent of teams that qualified for the 2014 World Cup, is a bit daft - just take the top team from each group and go straight to the round of 16.

Then England and similar would play just two matches before going home...

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Its just going to make everything really boring for the top teams in football. In the past there was jeopardy in qualifying, you had to be on your game and there were some really exciting games during this stage. Then there was the opening group stage which had some highly competitive games and you could easily go out.

Now we're in a situation where qualification for the likes of us, Spain, France, Argentina and so on is a walk in the park, and where the first round group games are largely meaningless. The same will go for South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Cote D'Ivoire who will find qualifying is largely automatic. All we as England fans will have in the way of exciting international football is one or two knock-out games every 2 years. Compare that to 98 where the qualifying was exciting, and every game we played in the tournament was exciting, same in 2000, 2002.

The excitement is now shifted down to the next level of teams, to Wales, Slovakia, Israel, Ecuador and so on, these are the teams playing the most interesting football from now on. Good for them, shite for those of us in the 'bigger' countries.

 

[Napper]

I tend to agree. It's such a shame. I used to get so excited by the world cup and international football. Now, due to a mixture of corruption and, let's face it, an under-performing national side, I'm totally disinterested. That the under-performance of the national side can also be attributed to the money men in the Premier League just adds to the sour taste in my mouth. A once great game has been sullied, just as the diet of Cowellesque modern music is served up as a product that the public gorge themselves on blindly, so modern football does the same - the new opium for the masses.

For me, it's just the Albion nowadays. My team. That's all that matters. That and the plight of other fans struggling to support their teams. How I will feel next year should we be successful will be interesting. The Albion in the land of the greedy money men. I believe we will retain our soul, as I believe in TB and PB because they understand the roots of the club. No doubt many will scoff at this latter point, but I believe the current management has done what it can to compete in the modern world and stay connected to the fanbase.

Hopefully the Albion wont turn shit and you sod them off as well.

England may be shit but they are our team

 

[halbpro]

Then England and similar would play just two matches before going home...

Get the failure out of the way nice and quickly

 

[Hamilton]

Hopefully the Albion wont turn shit and you sod them off as well.

England may be shit but they are our team

The Albion have been bottom basement pony and I didn't sod off, so unlikely it'll happen. I'll always be connected to my home team because I can relate to the home crowd, relate to the people that trudge along to the Goldstone, Preistfield, Withdean, Amex. As a result, I have an appreciation for the players that pull on the blue and white. I want them to do well for my club.

Do I feel the same appreciation for the national side against the backdrop of undeserved and over-inflated salaries, lack of investment in the national game from the authorities, corruption at the highest levels of football - both domestically and internationally? Am I that bothered about going along to the PA blaring arena of false atmosphere that is Wembley? No. I'm disinterested. So, perhaps modern football can make me interested in the national side again.

 

[Pevenseagull]

China

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

I hated the expansion of the euros as it basically made the group stage redundant.

And when I read the World Cup was expanding I initially hated the idea....but it's not so bad.

Less group games. More knockout football. Knockout football is by far more entertaining and dramatic.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I was worried this might mean an increase in matches but Germany will still only play 7 games.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Dave Tickner - writing for sportinglife.com - succinctly summarises the main argument against:

"With two teams qualifying from each of 16 three-team groups, the prospect of carve-ups is all but inevitable. With only three games in each group, the current system of each pool's final games being played concurrently is no longer an option. There will now be 16 teams placed at an immediate disadvantage by playing in the first two of their group's games. Anything less than four points, and they will be vulnerable to the last match of the group being played out for the mutual benefit of the two remaining sides.

With 16 groups and so few possible permutations after the first two games, it's almost certain that a sizeable number of the groups end up at the very least vulnerable to manipulation in the final match.

FIFA themselves are even aware of the risk, leading to the farcical proposal for penalty shootouts to decide group games that end all-square. It's a mess that will produce a palpably inferior tournament, almost inevitable cries of foul play and the stink of controversy, and will replace a neat, sensible 32-team format that works beautifully."

 

[Pevenseagull]

Dwight Yorke thinks it's a good idea so I'm against it.

 

[GT49er]

Geez, it almost makes you long for the good old days when Sepp Splatter was in charge. Almost.............

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Dave Tickner - writing for sportinglife.com - succinctly summarises the main argument against:

"With two teams qualifying from each of 16 three-team groups, the prospect of carve-ups is all but inevitable. With only three games in each group, the current system of each pool's final games being played concurrently is no longer an option. There will now be 16 teams placed at an immediate disadvantage by playing in the first two of their group's games. Anything less than four points, and they will be vulnerable to the last match of the group being played out for the mutual benefit of the two remaining sides.

With 16 groups and so few possible permutations after the first two games, it's almost certain that a sizeable number of the groups end up at the very least vulnerable to manipulation in the final match.

FIFA themselves are even aware of the risk, leading to the farcical proposal for penalty shootouts to decide group games that end all-square. It's a mess that will produce a palpably inferior tournament, almost inevitable cries of foul play and the stink of controversy, and will replace a neat, sensible 32-team format that works beautifully."

Ah, I didn't think of that issue.

Well, that's STUPID.

 

[Easy 10]

There were 12 venues in Brazil for the last World Cup, with 32 teams. How many venues will be needed to host this thing now, with an extra 16 teams thrown in ? Presumably another 4 at least ? So 16 stadiums, all with a minimum 40k capacity. Not too many countries will be able to come up with that, so I expect co-hosting to become the norm from 2026 onwards.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Ah, I didn't think of that issue.

Well, that's STUPID.

Imagine in 2026 you get a group of Germany, Nigeria and Qatar. Or Brazil, Cameroon and China. Can you see where I'm going with this?...

 

[Simster]

What an absolutely shambolic idea this is. Looking forward to carve ups aplenty, and only about 5 countries having the infrastructure to host it.

The world cup is FIFA's golden goose and in three successive tournaments, I reckon they'll have cut off it's head. Great job there.

 

[Gwylan]

Ah, I didn't think of that issue.

Well, that's STUPID.

Cough ... post #5 .... cough

 

[ManOfSussex]

Imagine in 2026 you get a group of Germany, Nigeria and Qatar. Or Brazil, Cameroon and China. Can you see where I'm going with this?...

The minnow plays for a draw. If penalties are used at the end of group games, will there be extra time first? The 3 team group stage rather failed at the 1982 world cup.

There's so many other imponderables to this expansion:

If Africa get extra places will The AFCON take place every 4 years, as has been talked about, rather than every 2?
Will it be joint bids for hosting each world cup or cities across a continent bidding for it?
The Confederations Cup is being held in Russia this summer, what happens to that in the future?
Less European qualifying games, the same, or more?

 

[Gritt23]

So, an extra 16 teams, with just 3 of them coming from Europe, so we will see an influx of second rate International sides who are just turning up to get clobbered and fail to qualify.

The Group Stage will become a complete non-event as you will know with 95% certainty the teams qualifying from each group.

 

[warmleyseagull]

It will throw the competition open as the one 'bad game' (as opposed to England's three) that the likes of Germany and Spain tend to have, might come in round of 32. Not sure whether this is good or bad, but certainly makes for more surprise sides in last 16.