A 64 team World Cup will be atrocious until the quarter finals. I know it’s all about money, but FIFA really can’t be trusted with their greatest asset.
I’m quite sure that this move to 48 teams in 2026 will result in me watching fewer games. In previous world cups I’ve ’watched’ every match, some from distance whilst cooking, others from an earlier recording with fast forwarding an option. I intend to pick and choose next time.
Make it 64 teams and I’m likely to ignore the group games completely.
FIFA are like humanity with the planet:. Play with the beautiful thing you’ve got rathering than nurturing it, and you’ll lose what made it special.
More is definitely not better, once you pass a certain point.
The Euros used to be too small when it was only 8 teams, so the 16 team Euro 96 felt like a big improvement. 24 teams for the Euros and 32 for the Worlds seems as big as both should go
Hold it every year, every team plays in a single elimination tournament, the lowest ranked nations play eachother in qualifying matches until you have the right amount of nations left. Regionalise the first games, but then don't regionalise when you get to the last 32
When it gets to the last 8, play it all in a 2 week period in a host nation, and have that as 2 groups of 4, round robin. Top 2 of each group goes into the Semi's, 1st of group A plays 2nd of Group B and vice versa.
So more like the FA Cup, with a mini tournament at the end with all the pomp and circumstance, hopefully with 8 nations at the top of their game.
Can also guarantee the move to 64 teams as a "special one off" because it's the centenary world cup will also definitely not be a one off once they realise they can make even more money.
Will be pretty stupid though, the tournament will have to last for about 6 weeks.
More is definitely not better, once you pass a certain point.
The Euros used to be too small when it was only 8 teams, so the 16 team Euro 96 felt like a big improvement. 24 teams for the Euros and 32 for the Worlds seems as big as both should go
At the time, eight teams in the Euros was OK. It was only the disintegration of the old Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s - resulting in a shed-load more countries in UEFA - that made it sensible to expand to 16.
I'm not a fan of "odd" numbers of teams in tournaments. The group stages need to have four teams in each group as three isn't enough (you can be knocked out after playing one game) and five could be too much, and having "best third place" qualifiers for the knockout stages just seems wrong so you should have four or eight four-team groups i.e. 16 or 32 teams competing, with top-two only feeding into the knockout stage.
Can also guarantee the move to 64 teams as a "special one off" because it's the centenary world cup will also definitely not be a one off once they realise they can make even more money.
Will be pretty stupid though, the tournament will have to last for about 6 weeks.
Hopefully the first round will be a knockout round before a 32 nation group phase or something.
I would say the top 32 teams automatically qualify. Get rid of stupid internationals that are virtually meaningless.
How would you judge who the top 32 teams were if no-one plays international matches outside of tournaments? How do the smaller nations get a chance to break into the top 32?
Do you just have England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil in every tournament and invite 24 others from around the world?
Can also guarantee the move to 64 teams as a "special one off" because it's the centenary world cup will also definitely not be a one off once they realise they can make even more money.
Will be pretty stupid though, the tournament will have to last for about 6 weeks.
Hopefully the first round will be a knockout round before a 32 nation group phase or something.
A 64 team tournament would actually be quite interesting if they did away with seedings and groups and made it an open draw, anyone can get anyone, straight knockout tournament.
Can also guarantee the move to 64 teams as a "special one off" because it's the centenary world cup will also definitely not be a one off once they realise they can make even more money.
Will be pretty stupid though, the tournament will have to last for about 6 weeks.
Hopefully the first round will be a knockout round before a 32 nation group phase or something.
A 64 team tournament would actually be quite interesting if they did away with seedings and groups and made it an open draw, anyone can get anyone, straight knockout tournament.
Obviously would never happen though.
But that would simplify everything and make every game do or die. Why on earth would the public pay to see that? Whoever heard of such a thing? Ludicrous suggestion.
Comments
I intend to pick and choose next time.
Make it 64 teams and I’m likely to ignore the group games completely.
FIFA are like humanity with the planet:. Play with the beautiful thing you’ve got rathering than nurturing it, and you’ll lose what made it special.
1982 - 1994 24 teams
1998 - 2022 32 teams
2026 48 teams
2030 64 teams
2038 200 teams? Get everyone involved and make the tournament 2½ months long.
And then hold it every other year.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Euros used to be too small when it was only 8 teams, so the 16 team Euro 96 felt like a big improvement. 24 teams for the Euros and 32 for the Worlds seems as big as both should go
When it gets to the last 8, play it all in a 2 week period in a host nation, and have that as 2 groups of 4, round robin. Top 2 of each group goes into the Semi's, 1st of group A plays 2nd of Group B and vice versa.
So more like the FA Cup, with a mini tournament at the end with all the pomp and circumstance, hopefully with 8 nations at the top of their game.
Will be pretty stupid though, the tournament will have to last for about 6 weeks.
I'm not a fan of "odd" numbers of teams in tournaments. The group stages need to have four teams in each group as three isn't enough (you can be knocked out after playing one game) and five could be too much, and having "best third place" qualifiers for the knockout stages just seems wrong so you should have four or eight four-team groups i.e. 16 or 32 teams competing, with top-two only feeding into the knockout stage.
Do you just have England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil in every tournament and invite 24 others from around the world?
Obviously would never happen though.
England
Djibouti
The Republic of California
Galapgos Islands
Maybe. China never go far so with 64 teams they might get a few wins.