© Reuters
The primary idea for the 2026 World Cup format may be put on the back burner.
In 2026, the World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams, with a plan to have 16 groups of 3 teams each, where the top two teams from each group would advance to the knockout stage.
However, this possible format was heavily criticized for the potential "Disgrace of Gijón" scenario that occurred in 1982. In the final match of the second group, Austria played against West Germany. This match did not take place at the same time as the penultimate match between Chile and Algeria teams.
At that time, Austria was in first place, while West Germany was in third. Eventually, the Germans won the match 1-0, a result that suited both teams to progress to the next stage. The winning goal was scored in the first 10 minutes, and the game was incredibly poor and boring thereafter. The match was suspected to have been pre-arranged, but FIFA officially rejected these allegations. More information can be found here.
The Guardian reports that FIFA is now backing away from its original idea and is considering a format with 12 groups of 4 teams.
This format would be similar to the European Championship but twice as large. The eight teams finishing third in the groups could advance to the knockout stage.
It is clear that the knockout stage will indeed begin with the round of 16.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in Mexico, Canada, and the USA.
🚨 FIFA are considering ditching plans to make the 2026 World Cup 16 groups of 3 teams and are now considering changing the format to 12 groups of 4 teams.
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 1, 2022
(Source: Guardian) pic.twitter.com/769qGJKcKP
