FIFA World Cup 2026 opinion poll + discusion about new format & rules

[Rgram]

I hate the new format, everything from the 48 teams to water breaks and what not.

By the way, yes, I forgot about this when I was listing everything that annoys me.
And in fact, these aren't actually drink breaks, but commercial breaks introduced under a clever pretext, drinking has never been a problem for players before.

That’s certainly one way to break the tension and steal the game from spectators or the fans that really do own the game/sport. There usually is a tension build up as the game progresses and while we might understand these breaks when the weather is hot, it makes no sense to have it as a rule in the sport now. There should be some sort of sacrifice for the sport.

FIFA is just doing what they could to squeeze the game for ads money and that is one way to destroy the beautiful game which we love so much. Football is much bigger than a 3 minutes ads hydration break.

[topbitcoin]

I hate the new format, everything from the 48 teams to water breaks and what not.

By the way, yes, I forgot about this when I was listing everything that annoys me.
And in fact, these aren't actually drink breaks, but commercial breaks introduced under a clever pretext, drinking has never been a problem for players before.

That's right, it's just a commercial break made to benefit from advertising. USA and FIFA are hoping for more profit and have disguised this with the dehydration breaks that have existed during this world cup.

What I don't like is not the new format but the way fifa and USA as organizers have made everything commercial rather than fairplay. The tickets are quite expensive, the commercials are actually quite annoying although I don't mind the dehydration breaks.

[SensitiveEyes]

FIFA is a business which makes money. The new formats and rules play second fiddle to the sponsors and broadcasting rights buyers. FIFA's income for the world cup 2026 is $13 billion, in Qatar 2022 it was $7.6 billion. 72% rises in 4 years proves FIFA is a business which wants money.

TV commercial breaks, sponsors and hydration breaks inside climate controlled rooftop stadiums with sponsorship on every corner is common because FIFA is greedy. World cup final tickets were on resale sites for $2 million thanks to FIFA's vision.

[Lida93]

The additional number of teams is what I really find thrilling about this world cup and I must commend the president of FIFA Gianni Infantino for the numerous reforms especially with the additional team which has given a lot of nations the opportunity to feature in the World Cup for the first time in their history and also a sense of belonging and most of these countries are actually competing with good discretion.

[pawel7777]

Having more teams means more of them are breaking their historical milestones. e.g. South Africa advanced to the knockout stage for the first time, Norway had their first knockout stage win in history, Congo scored their first ever knockout stage goal and, in the group stage, scored their first goal in the World Cup finals etc.
A lot of that would not be possible (or would be much harder to achieve) if not for the increased number of participating teams.

In other news, there was another red card for talking with a covered mouth, this time for Ecuador's player, Piero Hincapie.

[acroman08]

In other news, there was another red card for talking with a covered mouth, this time for Ecuador's player, Piero Hincapie.

Just curious, is there a specific requirement that needs to be met in order to make covering your mouth while talking a red card offense? I mean, is it also a red card offense if the players or the coach covered their mouth while discussing their strategy or something with each other?

[$crypto$]

In other news, there was another red card for talking with a covered mouth, this time for Ecuador's player, Piero Hincapie.

Just curious, is there a specific requirement that needs to be met in order to make covering your mouth while talking a red card offense? I mean, is it also a red card offense if the players or the coach covered their mouth while discussing their strategy or something with each other?

The coach isn't explicitly mentioned, but players are prohibited from covering their mouths when speaking to opponents, citing concerns about provocation, racism, or inciting violence, which is why FIFA has banned it.

The official rule is here. https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/fouls-and-misconduct/#disciplinary-action

[AprilioMP]

In other news, there was another red card for talking with a covered mouth, this time for Ecuador's player, Piero Hincapie.

I think it's a good idea to implement a new rule requiring players to cover their mouths when speaking, especially when speaking to opposing players.
This rule makes it easier for organizers to ensure the game runs fairly. If negative language is uttered, VAR can read it from lip movements, and the referee can penalize if the statement is proven to be true.

[Sithara007]

LOL.. look at the results. Two-thirds of the votes are in favor of the new format. And this is what I have been saying all along. Expansion of the FIFA World Cup was needed, not just because we need more diversity from all around the world. We need the expansion because of the rapid improvement seen in Asia and Africa. Look how teams such as Australia, Japan, Cape Verde, Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire have performed so far. And now compare with the 2022 edition. The last edition had a lot more one-sided matches compared to the current edition.

BTW, I would argue for a mixed qualificaton format, as below:

There needs to be a balanced approach. What I would suggest is two tiers of qualifiers. First tier would be based on the confederation, and a total of 24 teams (50%) should qualify through this route. The number of slots would be 50% of what it is now. Under this system, the 24 slots would be divided as follows:

UEFA: 8 slots
CAF: 4 slots
AFC: 4 slots
CONMEBOL: 4 slots (Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay)
CONCACAF: 3 slots (probably Canada, United States, Mexico will qualify)
OFC: 1 slot (probably New Zealand will qualify)

The remaining 24 slots should be decided from a global qualifier tournament, in which 72 teams from different confederations would take part. 24 teams who qualify through this route will join the other 24 teams who qualified directly from the confederations.

Slots for the global qualifier will be 72 (out of that 24 would qualify). Participating teams by confederation:

UEFA: 24 slots
CAF: 15 slots
AFC: 15 slots
CONMEBOL: 6 slots (all the remaining teams)
CONCACAF: 9 slots
OFC: 3 slots (probably New Caledonia, Fiji and Tahiti)

This system will make sure that only the best make it to the world cup. But logistics can be a problem, as huge number of teams will be participating and due to the global nature of the tournament.

[DrBeer]

As the first round of group games is now completed and a fair number of games are behind us, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the general sentiment is for the new format of the tournament, new rules as well as the organisational aspects of the tournament.

This is not meant to be a threat for discussion of results of the games (as there's already a dedicated topic for that) but for all other, surrounding aspects.

So feel free to share your opinion on what you think is an improvement, what do you find annoying, what are your thoughts on the increased number of participating teams etc. And, of course, please vote.

A brief analysis of the changes, based on open sources.

New Referee Rules
In addition to the format, FIFA used the tournament as a platform for new interpretations of the rules.
For example:
-a time limit for putting the ball back into play (5 seconds for certain restarts)
-faster player substitutions (10 seconds to leave the field)
-stricter measures against time-wasting
-when receiving medical attention, a player must, in most cases, spend about a minute off the field before returning

If a match goes into extra time:
the team receives an additional substitution
an additional "window" for substitutions is introduced

The main change is the format
48 national teams instead of 32
12 groups of 4 teams each
The top two teams from each group advance, plus the 8 best third-place teams
A new stage has been added-the Round of 32
The total number of matches has increased to 104 instead of 64
The tournament has been extended from 32 to 39 days, and the finalists must now play 8 matches instead of 7


New Group Format
This is where the most interesting questions arise.
The top two teams advance directly.
Then a comprehensive comparison of all third-place teams begins.
This means that one team from a group may advance, while another,even if it has the same number of points,may not.

For example:
one team has 3 points and advances
another has 4 points and does not advance (theoretically, such situations are possible depending on additional criteria and the distribution of results)
This makes the tournament less intuitive for viewers

One of the "downgrades" I’d point out is that two-thirds of the teams are eliminated in the group stage.
Out of 48 teams, 32 advance. This means the probability of advancing is about 67%. For comparison, previously 16 out of 32 advanced-50%.
Because of this, the likelihood of cautious play increases: many teams will play for a draw or aim to advance from third place, rather than striving to finish first.

And another plus-now more teams can qualify for the World Cup, which is probably for the best

[pawel7777]

(...)
Just curious, is there a specific requirement that needs to be met in order to make covering your mouth while talking a red card offense? I mean, is it also a red card offense if the players or the coach covered their mouth while discussing their strategy or something with each other?

From the link posted by $crypto$, the rule says:
"covering their mouth when communicating with an opponent in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory manner or situation (competition option)"

So it's not simply a case where you cover your mouth = you get sent off. It relates to heated and confrontational situations.

(...)
Out of 48 teams, 32 advance. This means the probability of advancing is about 67%. For comparison, previously 16 out of 32 advanced-50%.
Because of this, the likelihood of cautious play increases: many teams will play for a draw or aim to advance from third place, rather than striving to finish first.

Yeah, I've heard some commentators bringing up that playing a total of 72 games in the group stage just to eliminate 12 teams is not the most effective use of the time, to say the least. But it's pretty evident that the main motivation for FIFA to make those changes is to increase its revenue.

[SensitiveEyes]

Players waste time on throw ins, goal kicks and free kicks. Delays frustrate fans and players. Refs should be heavy on players which cause delays. In this FWC the new rule for throw ins is good. Throw ins are forfeited to the other team when players cause delays. Forfeiting is a good rule which must be extended to free kicks and goal kicks.

[Moreno233]

Players waste time on throw ins, goal kicks and free kicks. Delays frustrate fans and players. Refs should be heavy on players which cause delays. In this FWC the new rule for throw ins is good. Throw ins are forfeited to the other team when players cause delays. Forfeiting is a good rule which must be extended to free kicks and goal kicks.

I like those minor touches to the rules because they make the competition appear serious. I also like the increase in the number of teams and spreading the host countries to many. This years world cup have been the most engaging and competed world cup in history as we can see that everyone must work very hard to earn whatever achievement they will get. Other years we would have already known those that will qualified from the group stages and possibly the knockout stages as well. This year is totally different and better than what we had before.

[GiftedMAN]

Players waste time on throw ins, goal kicks and free kicks. Delays frustrate fans and players. Refs should be heavy on players which cause delays. In this FWC the new rule for throw ins is good. Throw ins are forfeited to the other team when players cause delays. Forfeiting is a good rule which must be extended to free kicks and goal kicks.

The rules are working in the world cup but I think every league needs to implement it so that footballers will stop using such delay tricks to win matches which should have been draws. The world cup this year is very different I like the way the referees are handling everything relating to the new rules and players knows what it means if corners are given due to their delays so they try to make everything faster not like before when they waste more than 5 minutes on throwing and corners.

[DrBeer]

...

(...)
Out of 48 teams, 32 advance. This means the probability of advancing is about 67%. For comparison, previously 16 out of 32 advanced-50%.
Because of this, the likelihood of cautious play increases: many teams will play for a draw or aim to advance from third place, rather than striving to finish first.

Yeah, I've heard some commentators bringing up that playing a total of 72 games in the group stage just to eliminate 12 teams is not the most effective use of the time, to say the least. But it's pretty evident that the main motivation for FIFA to make those changes is to increase its revenue.

I would be interested not only in my own analysis based on open sources, but also in an explanation from FIFA and the organizers-why they changed the rules, what goals they hoped to achieve, and what value these changes bring to such an event and to soccer as a whole?
 
If we try to speculate, we might even conclude that such a drawn-out event, for example... is more profitable for sponsors and advertising companies!
I’m just curious to understand-what is the purpose of these changes, and why were they made?

[acroman08]

The coach isn't explicitly mentioned, but players are prohibited from covering their mouths when speaking to opponents, citing concerns about provocation, racism, or inciting violence, which is why FIFA has banned it.

The official rule is here. https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/fouls-and-misconduct/#disciplinary-action

Thanks for the link! Now that I know the reason behind it, I guess it is understandable if it is to prevent racism or inciting violence towards their opponents.

Anyway, this part is a bit off-topic, but while I was looking for who got red card for breaking this specific rule, I saw an article headline that says "UEFA won't send off players who cover mouth when addressing an opponent". This kind of makes me wonder if this rule will also be in the next FIFA World Cup, or if they will just remove it after the Current World Cup.

[$crypto$]

There's a lot of discussion on social media about the red card given to American player Balogun.
He won't be sanctioned because FIFA has rescinded it. This is due to Trump's own intervention to review the red card, and FIFA granted it.

Is this political interference?

Anyway, this part is a bit off-topic, but while I was looking for who got red card for breaking this specific rule, I saw an article headline that says "UEFA won't send off players who cover mouth when addressing an opponent". This kind of makes me wonder if this rule will also be in the next FIFA World Cup, or if they will just remove it after the Current World Cup.

UEFA may not have implemented this rule yet, and it's only in World Cup tournaments that talking to a player while keeping your mouth shut can result in a red card.

The current World Cup has too many rules.

[KTChampions]

There's a lot of discussion on social media about the red card given to American player Balogun.
He won't be sanctioned because FIFA has rescinded it. This is due to Trump's own intervention to review the red card, and FIFA granted it.

Is this political interference?

FIFA continues to disgrace itself. By the way, the disqualification was not cancelled but postponed for a year with a probationary period, what nonsense. A shameful decision from FIFA, it's a shame the Belgian team has no backbone and only filed a complaint against this decision, rather than, for example, deciding not to show up for the game if Balogun were to play. If they had done this (or at least announced such a possibility), then I am 100% sure that the lifting of the disqualification would have been quickly reversed, since no one wants the shame to increase exponentially.

[$crypto$]

There's a lot of discussion on social media about the red card given to American player Balogun.
He won't be sanctioned because FIFA has rescinded it. This is due to Trump's own intervention to review the red card, and FIFA granted it.

Is this political interference?

FIFA continues to disgrace itself. By the way, the disqualification was not cancelled but postponed for a year with a probationary period, what nonsense. A shameful decision from FIFA, it's a shame the Belgian team has no backbone and only filed a complaint against this decision, rather than, for example, deciding not to show up for the game if Balogun were to play. If they had done this (or at least announced such a possibility), then I am 100% sure that the lifting of the disqualification would have been quickly reversed, since no one wants the shame to increase exponentially.

Yes, FIFA will be ashamed of itself for continuing to bow to Donald Trump.

UEFA's statement on this case---Distrustful and unjustifiable.
https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/02a7-2109c8e9ef81-de5a993db109-1000--uefa-statement-on-the-balogun-case/
Ah, I'm sick of it all. I think the US host nation is full of drama, from before the match until after the match. FIFA's integrity is now being stripped away.

[pawel7777]

When I first heard the story about FIFA overturning ban for USA's Folarin Balogun i thought it was a joke, but looks like this is real.
Apparently this is only the second time where a player that got sent off in the World Cup finals will not be serving a ban, the first time was in 1962 and involved Brazil's Garrincha, but back then the bans were not automatic.

This time is much weirder. The media report that the decision was indeed made after Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and convinced him that Balogun should be able to play in the next game.
FIFA and its president single-handedly ruined the organisation's reputation, which was already quite low. Allegedly even UEFA accused FIFA of crossing red line.

I hope that USA will sit Balogun on the bench and not use that undeserved "gift" that makes the entire tournament look corrupted and unfair.

More on the story:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cly99dxjkxxo
https://metro.co.uk/video/trump-jests-getting-balogun-red-card-overturned-3676751/