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2026 World Cup to expand to 48 teams

Haffa

Guest
Messages
15,881
Anything to give China and India a chance. NSW should secede and qualify on its own!
 

VictoryFC

Bench
Messages
3,786
There is little difference in quality between teams ranked 20-30 and 40-50. I know that's not how qualification works, but the point stands. Below the top 15 teams, you could go down to 80th rank and find teams that can take anyone ranked 15-80. Just 16 extra games doesn't seem like overkill at all.
 

Tommy Smith

Referee
Messages
21,344
The Euros were disastrous thanks to expansion.

And the diluted World Cup will follow the same path with an infinitely poorer quality product.

International football is dying a slow death.
 

langpark

First Grade
Messages
5,867
Football lost its way a long time ago, but this really is the icing on the cake.

The greed of FIFA seems to know no boundaries.
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
150,734
If only we could ditch FIFA and start a break away football association. Where there is this amount of money there is corruption.
 

langpark

First Grade
Messages
5,867
That would be awesome! Could only ever happen though if Spain-England and Italy FA's would lead a united front against them. Can't see it happening any time soon unfortunately.
 

DC_fan

Coach
Messages
11,980
The next thing will be the NRL increasing the number of teams in the playoffs from 8 to 12. It is all about money.
 

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,509
The format is a joke as well, 16 pools of 3 with the top 2 qualifying for a round of 32

lol

If you are going to reward mediocrity and have 48 teams compete, at least make it hard for them to get to the knockout stage. I could live with 48 teams in a 12 x 4 team pool format with winners and 4 best 2nd placed teams advancing.
 

Lemon Squash

First Grade
Messages
7,982
Even though this will make it now nigh on impossible for Australia to miss out on qualifying I'm not a fan.

Particularly agree in regards to the format itself, really makes it all seem very ameteur, we are supposed to be talking about the largest and most prestigious sporting competition in the world
 

t-ba

Post Whore
Messages
55,529
I'd laugh if Australia somehow did the same.

It'd be a pretty impressive feet because I'd bet a dollar to a dime that Asia will be getting the lions share of these new spots. As mentioned above, China needs to be guaranteed a spot so that losing to Central Asian states at home doesn't murder their qualifying chances.
 
Messages
31
It'd be a pretty impressive feet because I'd bet a dollar to a dime that Asia will be getting the lions share of these new spots. As mentioned above, China needs to be guaranteed a spot so that losing to Central Asian states at home doesn't murder their qualifying chances.

Yeah, I would imagine so. Gotta work on expanding those potentially lucrative Asian markets.
 

Tommy Smith

Referee
Messages
21,344
The switch to 48 teams will be the death of the World Cup. Hopefully it's short lived.

It just reeks of the new age "everyone gets a participation ribbon!" mantra.

This dilution of quality and the farcical nature of the group stage will absolutely ruin the tournament.

f**k Fifa indeed you corrupt and incompetent merkins.
 

t-ba

Post Whore
Messages
55,529
LoL. I missed that article from the start of the month. America Baaad.

The next two world cups are hosted by a fascist neo-soviet dictatorship and a slave state responsible in part for the export of Wahhabiism. But Trump is a dick so we'll give the World Cup to a nation illegally occupying the Western Sahara

*FIFA Logic*
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
150,734
The switch to 48 teams will be the death of the World Cup. Hopefully it's short lived.

It just reeks of the new age "everyone gets a participation ribbon!" mantra.

This dilution of quality and the farcical nature of the group stage will absolutely ruin the tournament.

f**k Fifa indeed you corrupt and incompetent merkins.

we gotta get a run somehow
 

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