GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
- 187,223
- 39,259
Yeah, what's this 3-team group nonsense? I don't care about expansion that much, but the teams who do get there I'd like to see play more than 2 games.
World Cup officially expands to 48 teams
- Thread starter spintheblackcircle
- Start date
Yeah, what's this 3-team group nonsense? I don't care about expansion that much, but the teams who do get there I'd like to see play more than 2 games.
hatterson
Registered User
3 team groups were the only way they could keep the total number of games down for the big nations. Having the big teams play 10-12 games in the tournament was going to have a lot of Europe's big clubs fight against the change.
There will probably be a penalty kick shootout after 90 minutes.
co-hosting -> splitting costs
Tunesia, Algeria and Morocco could co-host it.
A couple of Western African Nations maybe too.
Bon Esprit
Registered User
- Jan 24, 2004
- 4,861
- 438
Tunesia, Algeria and Morocco could co-host it.
A couple of Western African Nations maybe too.
No, they are all fragile nations with no financial power. How can they build 8 to 10 suitable arenas?
I'd like to see that, but it won't happen.
A couple of Western African Nations maybe too.
No, they are all fragile nations with no financial power. How can they build 8 to 10 suitable arenas?
I'd like to see that, but it won't happen.
bluesfan94
Registered User
The World Cup venues probably won't need to be as large, though, as long as there are large stadiums for the important games.
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
They are ruining the World Cup. How does Asia get 8.5 places? Are they trying to get China and India to qualify?
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
You can't judge the quality of the 48 2026 world cup participants by today's strength. In 9 year a lot of thinks can happen. Everyone who is now 25 or older will be retired or shortly before retirement.
It will be a complete new generation of players + todays youngsters as veterans.
A lot of mediocre Nations have time to improve.
Today I can't say that this expansion is the right or wrong decision. We will see how global football develops in the next couple of years.
It will be a complete new generation of players + todays youngsters as veterans.
A lot of mediocre Nations have time to improve.
Today I can't say that this expansion is the right or wrong decision. We will see how global football develops in the next couple of years.
CycloneLaunch
...
Hell ya gonna be a lot easier to qualify for New Zealand now
Unless those sneaky Australians try to worm there way back into Oceania qualifying,, you had your chance you can't come back !!!!
Unless those sneaky Australians try to worm there way back into Oceania qualifying,, you had your chance you can't come back !!!!
CycloneLaunch
...
Hard to say what happens 8-9 years from now, but a team like India didn't even qualify for a 24-team Asian Cup, they aren't even a top 15 team in Asia to be honest and probably won't be for a while. China is a different story, they are down right now but with the finances they are putting into their academies you would like to think 10-20 years from now they should field a competitive team
I wonder if this was the same reaction before when they expanded the World Cup previously.
I think giving the game even more exposure will improve the quality of the players from lesser popular nations.
Just look at the growth of some of the countries like the US, South Korea, Japan, etc.
But Eurosnob gonna Eurosnob.
I think giving the game even more exposure will improve the quality of the players from lesser popular nations.
Just look at the growth of some of the countries like the US, South Korea, Japan, etc.
But Eurosnob gonna Eurosnob.
CanadianFlyer88
Knublin' PPs
Not yet but the speculation is Asia/Africa, the two biggest voting blocs btw, will benefit the most doubling their spots
The rumored allocation is:
Hosts
UEFA: 16
CAF: 9
AFC: 8.5
CONMEBOL: 6
CONCACAF: 6.5
OFC: 1
CONMEBOL are also trying to merge with CONCACAF for these qualifiers, doubt that happens though as they need to realize CONCACAF is more than just USA/MEX + Central America, the Caribbean nations would never vote for something like that
Canada and Scotland will still find ways to miss out on qualification.
rangerssharks414
Registered User
The current format was perfect. Now, they're going to water it down just because they want a ridiculous amount of money.
canuckster19
Former CDC Mod
Not if Concacaf merges with Conmebol, that's horses--- as far as I'm concerned. Basically South America will get 8 teams in I imagine.
Deficient Mode
Registered User
- Mar 25, 2011
- 60,348
- 2,397
Wait how would they have played 10-12 games? They still only play each team in the group once. It was 7 matches max before and 7 matches max now (one less in the group; one more elimination game). It would have been 8 with 12 groups of 4 and 32 teams advancing to the elimination rounds.
Anyway I don't mind more fans getting the chance to see their teams in the tournament. Qualifying was already pretty boring, and the WC finals were full of mediocre teams and mediocre matches. Might as well give more countries a chance.
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Two group stages. One at 48 where 2/3 go through, one at 32 where 2/4 go through.
xtra
Registered User
It should be noted in regards to India that they have just started up an Indian Soccer league and it's growing really fast. Maybe not in 9 years but in 13-17 years I could see them putting out some talent as the league is exploding in India. http://m.indiansuperleague.com/home
Also Canada better freaking qualify now or I will be pissed
Also Canada better freaking qualify now or I will be pissed
hatterson
Registered User
Having groups of 4 makes an awkward transition to elimination stages. 12 groups of 4 with the top 2 and 3rd place from 8 of the 12 groups moving on is awkward. And 12 groups of 4 with the winner and another 4 moving to an R16 is even worse.
You're stuck either doing a double group stage, which is weird and adds too many matches, or doing something like 8 groups of 6 and either having the top 4 move on to an R32 elimination or the top 2 move on to an R16 elimination.
Groups of 6 with an R32 round would be 10 matches, and an R16 would be 9 matches but would result in basically a single loss in the group stage putting you on the edge of dropping from the tourney.
maclean
Registered User
- Jan 4, 2014
- 8,508
- 2,608
It is most played by kids but often just as a gateway sport that gives way to other sports when kids get older. I remember around age 11-13 people stopped wanting to play soccer at recess and wanted to play basketball or american football. By high school we didn't even have a school soccer team for boys, just for girls.
Then as anyone who played knows, kids' coaches barely coach at all. I'm not even sure we ever practised, if so once a week max. Here in the Czech Republic my son has three practices a week, then one or more games each weekend, though he doesn't always get nominated for them because only the best kids get nominated, which is another difference. As a kid I was definitely glad that everyone got a chance to play, but at the end of the day a more demanding system produces better players. On my son's team they are expected to be able to juggle the ball, to know dekes, etc. Nobody cared about that when I played as a kid in Canada.
Also, in Canada people put their kids in soccer but never played seriously themselves. In strong soccer countries there is much more continuity - kids' fathers are good at the game and pass along skills to kids from a young age. And to exaggerate slightly, every male adult played the game as a kid has something to pass along.
The last thing I would say is that in Canada people tend to live far away from each other. This makes it harder for pick-up games to happen. In Europe and elsewhere kids who like football are often able to play it every single day, every single free moment. When I was a kid I had no one to play with when I wasn't at school or an actual game.
hatterson
Registered User
Yea, I'd love a double elimination, quasi seeded bracket. But even at 32 teams a double elimination tourney can mean I think 10 games for someone going through the loser bracket.
