Tell ya right now: if FIFA offers stadium packages like the Centenario did, and I can blindly get tickets for 3 group stage, 2 R32 and 1 R16 match in Miami before the draw's even made, I'm buyin'.
They did this for the WWC next year. I didn't get a package but did manage to get a couple of tickets for the final when the individual games came up.
FIFA consider introducing group-stage penalty shootouts at 2026 World Cup - The Athletic The article states that groups of four is still being discussed behind the scenes. Also says they are considering the Shootout before the match which would be weird but would reduce collusion people seem to be obsessed about around here.
They did this for USA '94. 4 group stage + 1 R16. I bought Stanford and Pasadena. Went on sale in June '93.
If they do bundles like that at a discount for locals like they did for Russia I definitely see all the games selling out. Not sure what they will do though this time around.
New York? Are you sure? 2-3 hours each way to and from the stadium minimum. I'll let you know if I airbnb my house that month because I won't have any reason to be in NY then. Boston is an even bigger nightmare from what I hear, though I don't have any direct experience.
I plan to rent a car and stay at a middle point between Philly and Foxboro (White Plains? Norwalk? Stamford?). I see you are in Brooklyn. How easy is to park there?
With 48 teams, I would support a 24-team knockout phase. Therefore in my 3-vs-3 format, the top team in each group would qualify directly to the round of 16, and the next two would play the repechage. My format would encourage teams with two wins not to gift away the third group match.
I really like the 24 team knockout idea with 4 team groups. You really force teams to go for the byes.
Yes. Top 8 group winners get a first round bye. Other 4 group winners plus the 12 runners up play a "playin" match to get to the R16. One downside is that a team that plays their 3rd game early may be waiting a while to see where/when/who they play, but I'm guessing the 24 team WCs didn't see it as that big of a deal back then (where the 3rd place team often didn't know when they were playing until the group stage matches were almost over).
Really depends where in Brookyn and weekends v weekdays, day v night. Roughly speaking, the closer to Manhattan the tougher it becomes, especially weekdays. But on evenings and weekends you will always find free street parking with a little effort. Even in Manhattan itself.
Surprised nobody posted here, but I noticed some stronger rumors from multiple sources that FIFA seems to be leaning to the 12x4 format now. Thank God!
Wenger also mentioned two 6x4s which would probably help keep rest balanced going into the knockout stage since it would keep the eight third place sides more equally balanced.
Two 6 × 4s? As in, third place teams would only be compared with teams from 5 other groups instead of 11? And the knockout bracket presumably would be divided into two halves, one for teams from Groups A-F and one for teams from Groups G-L?
Yeah. It makes sense when you think about the number of permutations needed to place eight third place sides vs four in the round of 32.
But I hate the idea of teams being protected from each other before the Final (see: Gold Cup formats keeping the US and Mexico from meeting too early )
They need to try and do something to punish the Third place teams if they decide do that format. I would make them travel the furthest. Something like Seattle to Mexico City or something or Toronto to Guadalajara for the knockouts.
Yeah, I am not sure I get the point of having two 6x4s. Seems unnecessary, though I haven't really thought about it in-depth. Would prefer not having the top 2 teams in a given group meet again before the final, like what happened in 2002.
You can always cross the two groups over for the round of 16. That way its possible that any two teams could make the final at the start of tournament, with results separating them as the cup goes on.
So essentially the same as in Queens, which is where I lived 15 years ago. Nothing has changed then. That is why I am leaning towards staying outside of the 5 boroughs...
With the 24 team Euros there is that table that predetermines where the third place teams match up against in the R16 based on which four groups have the third place team advance. With six groups and four third place teams it makes only 15 combinations. With 12 groups and eight teams advancing it makes 495 combinations. My guess is that's going to be one of the big reasons to go with two 24 team tournaments basically.