Official Worldwide Football (Soccer) Discussion Thread (31 Viewers)

[owlbee]

Unfortunately, it will never go back to 32 teams. It's just too much money for FIFA. I think it's been confirmed that 2030 (Morocco, Spain, Portugal) will be 48 teams. Not sure how 2034 (Saudi Arabia) will be able to host 48 teams. It will most definitely be 64 teams in 2038 and now the host selection process should favor joint host bids. So at least two more World Cups with the 3rd place nonsense.

 

[Coyote]

IMHO, all kinds of sports, world-wide, should be banned as a spectacle.
Currently, it's just the fuel of organised crime.

 

[Mr Winberg]

they increased it to a 24 team competition in the 80’s that had the best 4 third place teams go through.

Actually, in 1982 only the top two made it through the first group stage, no "best thirds" that year. The 12 teams that went through formed 4 new groups with 3 teams each, where the winner of each group proceeded to the semi final. It was an interesting approach, but unfair that the two teams in each group's final match had an advantage in knowing what result they needed, which the team who played in the first two matches didn't have.

But the real group stage drama was in the first group stage (6 groups of 4) where West Germany and Austria (the non-kangaroo Austria) screwed Algeria big time. FIFA hadn't yet realized that the final matches within groups of 4 MUST be played at the same time. Algeria played it's game earlier, so Germany and Austria who playedater stopped playing after 5 minutes at 1-0, knowing both would proceed if the result stayed. It was like minutes 85-92 in this year's match between Austria and Algeria (ironic!!), but for 85 minutes! In 1986 FIFA had learned their lesson and started having simultaneous starts of these kind of matches.

1998 was the first with 32 teams, which was perfect!

 

[Mr Winberg]

IMHO, all kinds of sports, world-wide, should be banned as a spectacle.
Currently, it's just the fuel of organised crime.

Did you think that way 2004 as well?