[00Kevin]

I remember after the 2002 world cup FIFA was discussing to increase the number of teams in the world cup for 32 to 36. why? i think one factor was the fact that they wanted to give oceania it's own spot.

now my question is, how would the tournament be set up with such an unusual number?

SIMPLE: the current total of 32 teams is very tidy and not complex at all. 8 groups of 4 teams, 2 teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. so simple!

COMPLEX: the 24 team world cups that ended with 1994 could be a little hard to follow for the casual sports fan. 6 groups of 4, the top 2 teams advance plus the top 4 3rd place teams. it should be noted that some 1st place team would end up playing a 2nd placer, while other 1st place teams ends up playing a 3rd, and some 2nd place teams play against each other

INSANE: 36 Teams... uhhh, i don't even know what to do, 36 is not even divisible by 8, so you couldn't have 8 even groups. you could have 9 groups of 4, with the winner advancing along with the top 7 2nd placers...!!! or you could do 12 groups of 3, winners and 4 2nders advance. or 6 groups of 5 would work, same formula as the 24 team WC.

if they had to increase the number of teams, I think 40 would be the magic number. this way you could have 8 groups of 5 teams, with the top 2 from each group getting through, just like the 32 team system. this would make group play alot more competitive, and it would increase the length of the world cup from 64 games to 96! personally i think the current number of 32 is perfect, we don't need to increase it at this point.


so.... can anyone explain the 36 teams system to me? How would you set it up?

[JLSA]

Probably something along the lines of the 2004 Copa Libertadores.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Copa_Libertadores

Of course, in the context of a World Cup finals tournament, it wouldn't work nearly as well as this "thing".

Good luck trying to schedule any "worst second place playoff" fairly - some teams would finish groups games 3 days (maybe more) before others, so their could be total unfairness with fatigue.

Otherwise you could just drop the 2 worst runners-up, which could also be really unfair as it would hurt even groups, where the runner-up was probably quite good but had a hard time against a good 3rd place side. Even then, the scheduling of the round of 16 would also be subject to possible levels of unfairness around the fatigue factor.

J

[00Kevin]

hmmm, so it had been done. thanks for that

[Gary V]

The number of teams in the groups should be even. This allows the final games in the group to be played simultaneously, lessening the chance of shenanigans trying for advancement.

[00Kevin]

oh yea, that's a very good point, we all remember what happened to algeria in 1982

[seadondo]

I don't think a 36 team world cup is a good idea, and I also think that 32 teams is the perfect number. With that said, the easiest, and probably the best way to handle a a field of 36 teams at the world cup:

- Nine groups of 4 teams each.
- Top two teams from each group (18 teams) advance to the next stage
- Four teams are selected from the 18 remaining to play each other and qualify for the round of 16.
- Begin round of 16 as normal.

Obviously the only hiccup with this format is the selection of the 4 teams to play an additional game and move on the round of 16. This creates two problems: 1) The two winners of these pre-round of 16 games would play an additional game and 2) How are these 4 teams selected.

Playing the additional game is questionable, and definitely unfair; however, at least the matter is settled on the field, and you don't have to rely on comparing and selecting best 3rd place teams who played in different groups (kind of like how UEFA chooses the top 8 2nd place teams in their WCQ), which I think is more unfair.

In the interest of fairness, though, going with any other than 32 teams is going to result in some sort of unfair mechanism. The number of teams is perfect right now for the World Cup, and should not be changed for the foreseeable future.

[Antonio81]

Australia moved to Asia. I'm not sure Oceania (with New Zealand being the powerhouse) deserve their own spot.

[dethwing]

How about...6 groups of 6, winners and 2 best 2nd places advance. Then single elimination 8. This would be 8 games for teams in the semi finals as opposed to the current 7, so slightly longer. And all the non-advancing teams get 2 extra games on the world stage.

[Lion-o]

no the world cup should be reduced back to 16 teams!!