News: FIFA to expand World Cup to 48 teams in 2026, impact upon the USA

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by deuteronomy, Jan 10, 2017.

  1. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To meet Montagliani's goal I would with 4 groups of 4 for the bottom 16 teams with group winner and best 2nd place going through to the round of 24. This would not need more matchdays than this cycle and would get all teams a minimum of 6 matches.
     
  2. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would be a good way.
     
  3. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #203 Footsatt, Mar 31, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2017
    Like this....
    2 first place teams get a bye
    Round 1: 11 groups of 3, Top 2 advance... eliminates 11 teams. (4 games played)
    Round 2: 2 bye teams plus 22 winners. 6 groups of 4. Top 2 advance (6 games played)
    Round 3: 2 Hexes. top 3 advance. (10 games)
    Round 4: 2 4th place teams play home and away for the WC playoff spot.

    11 teams play 4 matches
    12 play 10 (2 of these teams could play just 6)
    12 play 20 (2 of these teams could play 16)
    2 play 22 (these 2 could play 18 if they are the bye teams)

    Edit: 18 to 22 is to many games...as @2in10 states, currently the max a team plays is 16.
     
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  4. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well that would be this cycle only. If one of the first round teams had made it to the Hex they would have 22 games.
     
    Footsatt repped this.
  5. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Lets try this one...
    Like this....
    Top 19 get a bye
    Round 1: Bottom 16: 4 groups of 4. 4 winners and top 2nd place advances. (6 games total)
    Round 2: 6 groups of 4. Top 2 advance (6 games played)
    Round 3: 2 Hexes. top 3 advance. (10 games)
    Round 4: 2 4th place teams play home and away for the WC playoff spot.

    Again, probably to many matches...
    11 teams play 6 matches
    12 play 6 or 12 matches
    12 play 16 or 22 matches
    2 play 18 or 24.
     
    2in10 repped this.
  6. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree there could be too many matches for some of the teams. I keep forgetting about the playing team.
     
  7. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think it would be quite unlikely for one of the lowest 16 to make it through to one of the hexes but definitely more likely than with the current system.
     
  8. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In the 2014 cycle Panama played 22 matches and a first round winner that would have made it to the Hex would have played 24.
     
    Footsatt repped this.
  9. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I do like the idea of the first round with 4 groups of 4 giving all the weaker teams at least 6 games. But once you get to 24 maybe you have 4 Hexes?

    Like this...
    Top 19 get a bye
    Round 1: Bottom 16: 4 groups of 4. 4 winners and top 2nd place advances. (6 games total)
    Round 2: 4 Hexes. top team advances. (10 games) 4 second place teams go to the playoff
    Round 3 Playoff: Home and away playoff. winners advance losers play another home and away for the 7th playoff spot.

    11 teams play 6 matches
    20 play 10 or 16
    4 play 12 or 18
    2 play 14 or 20
     
    omnione, rlrcpa and 2in10 repped this.
  10. salvikicks

    salvikicks Member+

    Mar 6, 2006
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd do 40 teams with 8 groups of 5. The winner of each group gets a bye, the 2nd and 3rd place teams of each group move on to the rd of 16. Each winner of that Rd of 16 plays one of the group winners.

    48 teams is too much, 40 with 24 making the next Rd sounds better imo.
     
    Alexisonfire repped this.
  11. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That is pretty intriguing.

    I looked back to the 2010 WCQ and they used a different format from 2014 which is different from this cycle. I have a feeling that the format changes every cycle based on what the Caribbean nations prefer.
     
  12. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The 48 teams are locked in by FIFA vote so we are going to have fun with 48 for at least one cycle.
     
  13. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This could maybe work for 2022 as well.

    Top 19 get a bye
    Round 1: Bottom 16: 4 groups of 4. 4 winners and top 2nd place advances. (6 games total)
    Round 2: 4 Hexes. top team advance to round 3.
    Round 3 playoff: home and away. Winners advance. Losers play a second home and away, winner advances. Loser goes to the intercontinental playoff.

    11 teams play 6 matches
    20 play 10 or 16
    4 play 12 or 18
    2 play 14 or 20
     
    2in10 repped this.
  14. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not a bad idea.
     
  15. Sandinista

    Sandinista Member+

    Apr 11, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    Racing Club de Avellaneda
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Regarding the fate of Bolivia and Venezuela in a play-off tournament for a 7 or 8th slot, you'd have to clarify if the playoffs would be a home-and-away matter.

    If it were, then I'm quite sure they'd be more than competitive with any of the 7ths, 8ths and 9ths of CCAF, CAF, AFC and OFC... specially in the case of Bolivia (And I bet if they make it to that play-offs mini-tournament it would 100% re kindle the debate about FIFA allowing them to play in La Paz).
     
    Burr repped this.
  16. Mr. Bandwagon

    Mr. Bandwagon Member

    Terremotos
    May 24, 2001
    the Barbary Coast
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Or...OR...hear me out...

    How about this like this:

    First round: 1 group of 35 teams. Round robin home and away, so every team plays 68 matches (34 x 2). Top 6 teams advance to world cup, seventh place team to FIFA playoff round.

    Seems like a lot of matches, right? "Too many," they said. But here's the trick: ******** 'em.
     
    tomásbernal repped this.
  17. Mr. Bandwagon

    Mr. Bandwagon Member

    Terremotos
    May 24, 2001
    the Barbary Coast
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #217 Mr. Bandwagon, Apr 1, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2017
    Seriously though, there's no way this doesn't weaken the competition-level of CONCACAF qualifying. It will open the door for programs like Canada to finally make the Hex, but really dilutes the competition for the top nations.

    This is probably the best format proposed so far in terms of balancing demands (more guaranteed matches for all teams while limiting the maximum you can play) and still selecting the strongest contingent:

    There would be a way to make it work...but it might require starting earlier in the cycle. I'm way too lazy to figure out how many FIFA match days there are on the 4-year calendar and how that would work.

    The other stats to keep track of:

    Number of teams in the penultimate round of qualifying: 12 currently, 24 as proposed
    Number of teams in the Hex round: 6 currently, 12 as proposed
    Number of teams that qualify for the WC: 3.5 currently (3 guaranteed), ~6.16 as proposed (6 guaranteed)

    So doubling the number of teams that make each of the later rounds and doubling the number of guaranteed WC spots. Schedule-wise there's no reason why the final two rounds of qualifying couldn't happen at the same time on the current calendar, so it would mean twice as many teams would last deeper into the cycle temporally-speaking as well - achieving the goal of having more teams "alive" in qualifying later than currently.

    That is the positive angle with regard to the changes.
     
  18. Mr. Bandwagon

    Mr. Bandwagon Member

    Terremotos
    May 24, 2001
    the Barbary Coast
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #218 Mr. Bandwagon, Apr 1, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2017
    One other thing - it looks like the 48-team WC would possibly start with a one match win-or-go-home play-in round among the bottom 32 qualifiers with the top 16 getting advanced directly to the group stage joined by the play-in round winners. So another benefit to the 2-Hex format is that the two Hexagonal winners could be given CONCACAF's two first round byes at the World Cup, which would be the fairest way to distribute those slots all things considered. It would also give the top teams a reason to place first in the Hex, perhaps enhancing the competitive value a little if not the level of competition.
     
  19. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's not a home and away playoff. It's a mini playoff in the country hosting the WC.
     
  20. Footsatt

    Footsatt Member+

    Apr 8, 2008
    Michigan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't recall seeing the weakest 32 team 1 game win and go home format for the 48 team WC. I only have seen the 16 groups of 3 format. Is this new info coming from FIFA?
     
  21. VBCity72

    VBCity72 Member+

    Aug 17, 2014
    Sunny San Diego
    Club:
    Plymouth Argyle FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There was talk at the beginning of one-off games at the start of the tournament but it was quickly abandoned.
     
  22. Mr. Bandwagon

    Mr. Bandwagon Member

    Terremotos
    May 24, 2001
    the Barbary Coast
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Source is based on this article from last fall so not necessarily the latest proposal:

    https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...xpand-48-teams-fifa-gianni-infantino-suggests

    Ya I honestly have no idea what the plan is currently. There's a thread in the FIFA forums on this subject but it's ridiculously long.
     
  23. PhillyandBCEagles

    Jul 9, 2012
    NC
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Any 48-team format is going to be awful. The least bad format is probably 16x3 with only group winners advancing but that means 2/3 of the teams in the tournament are only playing 2 games. A 16x3 with 2 teams advancing, which seems to be what they want to do, will lead to multiple Germany-Austria situations in every tournament. Not could, will.
     
  24. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    It was a format floated by FIFA before settling on the 3 team group format.
     
  25. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    Best way to minimise it is to have the seeded teams play the first two games. They are supposed to be the best teams so if they can't get a win and a draw from the two games to guarantee qualification that's their problem.
     

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