Too much football or extra fun? Pros and cons of a 48-team World Cup
· Yahoo Sports
When FIFA decided to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, the camps were clearly divided: some commentators welcomed a historic opportunity for world football, while others feared an overloaded mega-tournament.
The first two matchdays provide fuel for both sides. What are the arguments in favour of the new format, and what are those against?
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Pros: New faces, new stories
For smaller footballing nations, the expansion to 48 teams is a blessing and a rare chance to step into the spotlight.
Countries such as Curaçao, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde can tell their stories on the world’s biggest footballing stage.
Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha, for instance, became a World Cup and internet sensation overnight following the 0–0 draw against Spain. He now has over 15 million followers on Instagram.
His mother has also touched the hearts of many fans after missing her son’s first match due to visa issues. She has since been granted entry to the US.
The story of Curaçao, the smallest World Cup participant ever, also made headlines around the world. Around 185,000 people live in the Caribbean nation.
Pros: Quality isn’t suffering
Many critics warned that the expansion would lead to greater disparities in quality and boring, one-sided matches.
However, the World Cup so far has painted a different picture: after the first 24 matches, the goal difference was roughly on a par with that of the 2022 World Cup, with little sign of a significant decline in the quality of play.
Lopsided victories, such as Germany’s 7–1 win over Curaçao or Canada’s 6–0 victory over Qatar, are always to be expected.
Yet some of the nations with a lesser footballing tradition have held their own well at the start. For instance, Cape Verde first held Spain to a 0–0 draw, then Uruguay to a 2–2 draw.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo fought hard to secure a 1–1 draw against Portugal.
"Any team can beat you. They’re all here because they’re talented," said Spain’s Marc Cucurella.
Cons: Does travelling distort the competition?
With the tournament featuring 48 teams and 16 venues spread across three countries, some teams have faced enormous travel strain.
Bosnia and Herzegovina played their first group match in Toronto and had to travel to Los Angeles for their second game – a distance of around 3,500 kilometres.
The Czech Republic also faces a tough challenge: the team's first two venues, Guadalajara and Atlanta, are around 2,500 kilometres apart, before the team returns to Mexico City for their final group stage match.
Although there are several days’ break between matches, the additional travel is still a disadvantage compared to teams with more compact tournament schedules.
Paraguay have fared much better: the South Americans are based in California and will play all three of their group matches in that state.
Panama are also benefiting from short journeys: their base camp is in New Tecumseth, Canada – just over an hour’s drive from Toronto, where two of their group stage matches will take place.
Cons: Less excitement
The goalless draw against Cape Verde in their opening match was a disaster for Spain. And yet the European champions remained just as composed as the Belgians or the Dutch, who also dropped points early on.
Why get nervous when, under the new format, the eight best third-placed teams also go through? The sporting significance of the group matches has fallen just as much as the excitement.
The amended rules also contribute to this, whereby, in the event of a points tie, head-to-head results are now the first tiebreaker, followed only then by goal difference.
As a result, it was already clear before the final matchday of the group stage that teams such as Turkey, Jordan and Haiti could pack their bags.
The first 72 matches over 17 days merely serve to reduce the field to the old size of 32 nations.
Pros and cons: More matches
The biggest change to the tournament structure is the new first knockout round: the round of 32.
FIFA has faced a great deal of criticism for its overambitious approach.
France’s manager Didier Deschamps also warned of health consequences.
"The alarm bells have been ringing for some time. The risk of burnout cannot be dismissed," he said.
However, the expansion of the competition also means that teams in the group stage have a break of almost a week between matches.
Many managers are therefore giving their players two days off before preparations begin.
Harry Kane, for example, went to a concert with his team-mates, whilst the Swedish players went to a baseball match.
The Canadians and Americans relaxed with their families at a barbecue, and the Norwegians jetted off for a short trip to New York.