Next World Cup to have 12 groups of 4, with 32 teams advancing to the knock out stage

[Vintage]

It's good for the other confederations which is a good thing. It might lead to improvements of quality for them. Quality will be diluted but it's more football to watch

It won't lead to improvement though as now they have to do less to qualify than ever before

 

[Vintage]

The solution is to start watching only after the group stage. There might be the odd group game that catches the fancy, but the lack of jeopardy means they will basically be glorified training matches. Certainly, the days of embracing the entire month of football, watching every game, and absorbing the implications of Tunisia 0-1 Belgium are over for me. As somebody who likes to archive World Cup tournaments on blu-ray, I suspect I'll be depending on my local national TV channel to do a good daily highlights show (if they can be bothered with this amount of games), or restrict myself to the last 16 - 32 at a stretch. Basically, I'll become very selective from now on as the concept of an all-enveloping tournament makes little sense now the group stages are, effectively, a lucrative qualification tournament bolted on to the finals themselves.

Same as I rarely watch any champions league group games usually wait till knock out stages as the groups are generally predicable and boring

 

[Vintage]

I don't think there's anything wrong with more countries in Africa and Asia getting to host a World Cup to be honest

The fact we've still only had one African World Cup in 93 years when you consider how many great players have come from that part of the world is something FIFA should probably look to rectify in the coming years

If allowing multiple nations to shoulder the hosting duties gets the World Cup to a part of the world that normally wouldn't have seen it then that's a good thing

When you see recent African Cup of Nations and numerous domestic games having significant crowd trouble as well as stadium disasters on the continent. Most African countries are far away from having the capability of holding any large international tournament

 

[Brendan Janus]

Its going to be a heavy sticker book that, probably costs less to go to the tournament.

Exactly what I was thinking LOL !!

 

[WA Toffee]

Same as I rarely watch any champions league group games usually wait till knock out stages as the groups are generally predicable and boring

I couldn't be bothered watching the knock out stages as it just tends to be the same teams every year, which I find boring.

To be honest, the whole champions league bores me - the last game I watched was when Real beat the rs 3 1, and that was probably the first champions league game I watched since we played Villareal. (to be fair, they are on at stupid o clock here, but cba even watching replays or highlights the next day)

I would suggest the only unpredictable thing to happen in the champions league in the last 20 years was sheriff fatman beating Real - in the group stages

 

[Billy Dean]

It won't lead to improvement though as now they have to do less to qualify than ever before

But they will get more exposure to tournament football and more prize money

 

[brieverton]

I enjoy the World Cup as a whole event, and usually take an extended annual leave so I can watch most of it. That's the only event I would consider doing that for.

I'll still do that all being well, but with the new format will have to sacrifice probably the first two rounds of group games.

It's not ideal and is another anti-fan initiative. For those actually going out for the games, it means longer stays and more expense also. I wonder if this will be reflected in attendances for the early stage group games.

A 32 team format was about the maximum that you could have without a serious dilution in quality, 48 teams just is not good on any level.

 

[Drico]

But they will get more exposure to tournament football and more prize money

But we know where so much of that prize money will end up...

We don't have to look too far to see the kleptocratic tendencies of national FAs. Take Ireland under John Delaney. You can only imagine what it's like in less regulated parts of the world...

 

[Billy Dean]

When you see recent African Cup of Nations and numerous domestic games having significant crowd trouble as well as stadium disasters on the continent. Most African countries are far away from having the capability of holding any large international tournament

You're probably looking North Africa only at the moment I guess. Morocco, Egypt etc

 

[Lineker]

I have mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, it will lose a bit of its magic as it becomes another slog fest with a lot of teams just making up the numbers, but on the other hand, it is a great opportunity for the smaller nations to have a moment in the sun and play on the biggest stage there is.

There is a greater likelihood of huge mismatches in the group stages, but it doesn't seem that long ago that Germany was beating Saudi 8-0, a result that I don't think would happen now as Asian teams have progressed a lot in the last 20 years.

Football isn't always just about the top 8 or 10 nations.

Wasn't that long ago that germany was beating brazil 7-0. Brazils come a long way since then. Their trajectory has you thinking they may win a cup in one of hlthe next few editions.

 

[WA Toffee]

Wasn't that long ago that germany was beating brazil 7-0. Brazils come a long way since then. Their trajectory has you thinking they may win a cup in one of hlthe next few editions.

yep, that one too

Makes even more of a mockery of the claim smaller nations will just get slaughtered so they shouldn't be allowed to compete

 

[Yarrgh]

If we're nor playing a team of grass skirted midgets in bare feet in the next world cup then they haven't expanded it far enough. Come on FIFA, sort it out.

 

[longers]

Not arsed, moar football, moar fun*


*Everton excluded