The FIFA World Cup 2022 is among the most entertaining editions in the history of the competition. It has produced several shocking results, including Saudi Arabia defeating Argentina and Senegal defeating reigning champions France. Four-time FIFA World Cup champions Germany and two-time champions Senegal have also failed to progress beyond the group stages.
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The current 32-team Format of the FIFA World Cup has been in play since 1998. 32 teams get divided into eight groups of four teams each. The two best teams from each group get qualified for the knockout stages, where each group winner play against the runners-up of the other group.
FIFA ruining the World Cup
The 32-team FIFA World Cup format is a nice-clean format, which has been working perfectly fine since coming to play. However, FIFA is planning to ruin it by introducing a new 48-team format. The FIFA Council approved the plan back in January 2017.
The 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups of three teams. The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages, which will have a total of 32 teams.
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In the current format, each team plays three games during the group stages, whereas in a 48-team format each team will only play just two group stage games. Teams going through a four-year World Cup qualification process to play just two games isn’t ideal.
Currently, the final group-stage game gets played at the same time, which reduces the chances of a collision of the result. However, in the new format, one team has to watch the final group stage game.
During the FIFA World Cup in 1982, Austria deliberately lost 1-0 to West Germany to ensure knockout stage qualification for both teams at the expense of Algeria, who have already played their last group stage game. The 48-team format puts the risk of its repetition very high.
Arsene Wenger on 48-team World Cup
Finding 16 more teams worthy enough to participate in the tournament is also a massive task. FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, recently said: “It means that we will have to find 16 more good teams.”
“I am convinced that if the teams, the countries have more opportunities to go to the world stage, it will do more for (football) development inside that country.”
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FIFA’s decision to change the format has received a lot of criticism from fans and pundits alike since its approval. It is believed that it will ruin the fun of the competition.
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