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© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Qataris considering a 48-team option for 2022 World Cup
By GRAHAM DUNBAR MOSCOW©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
12 Comments
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maybeperhapsyes
Good idea...maybe, just maybe, Scotland might make it.
ClippetyClop
So 16 teams would play one game, lose, go home. Genius.
Wakarimasen
Why not just do away with the qualifiers and have everyone at the Finals.
TigersTokyoDome
Considering the apparent success of this Russia World Cup, with big favourites going home early and less fancied nations doing well, isn't this the time to say don't change anything?
The football has been exciting so why change anything? The fact that FIFA feels the need to change a successful format shows how out of touch they really are.
albaleo
....it doesn't have enough features. :-)
smithinjapan
Yeah, I guess if you lower the overall talent of the WC it'll make everyone look better. True. It's like if you lower the passing grade of a test to 20% you can say that suddenly, that year, there was a massive swell in the rate of people who passed, and countries that have never before seen a passing rate are doing extremely well.
Luddite
More teams mean more bungs for FIFA.
ClippetyClop
64 teams, 16 groups of 4. Top 32 play for the World Cup, remaining 32 play for the 'Continental Trophy' or something. Basically a two tier tournament where even lesser teams have the chance to play for something.
Ridiculous idea I know, but no less so than THIEFAS current daft concept.
Alexandre T. Ishii
Knock out matches from start to end. The first match to the final to be 6 matches, less than those fatigue 7 matches to go to final. 48-24-12-6-3+1 (4teams) from repechage of quarter-final.