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

[JeffBrad12]

There have been numerous controversies in this world cup. So i think it's all due to the political reason and more teams participate in the world cup. However, as Infantino says it's possible to increase the current 48 spots to the 64 spots in the future.
I think the more nations to participate is good because world cup should be dedicated for world wide. However, i feel we are likely seeing another regress to the quality of competition.

We may see another new format to come.

I personally think 64 teams is too many. It would be a new format which I would be personally be not very comfortable with, even if more teams are granted the chance to prove themselves and get the cup.
I get the World Cup is supposed to be a competition in which there is a worldwide participation, but that is why there are some previous matches (outside of the world cup) in order to determine which nations are supposed to participate or not.

Not even mention that number of participants could prompt the FIFA to keep the format of multiple hosts, as they did with this world cup, which is something I personally did not like.

There will always be good and negative sides. However, the current 48 spots is already designed to be the gateway for the bigger participations. So i think to increase the total club to be 64 is possible to happen. I personally don't like it, but since Infantino open such possibility.
It's likely he's increase the participation spots.

I'm only wondering how Infantino will pack qualifiers when spots in WC is getting bigger to ensure it's not wrecking the players.

[Sarah Azhari]

I may be wrong, please correct me, but I can’t recall a World Cup this disgraceful, or such appalling behavior on FIFA’s part... They turned the World Cup into some kind of spectacle... I wonder if there will be legal proceedings and investigations into "external influence on decision-making" after the tournament? I think that would be telling.

This World Cup has been absolutely terrible. There have been reports circulating that Gianni Infantino may face legal action or an investigation because he is suspected of violating the principle of political neutrality, abusing his authority, and allowing external parties to interfere in decision-making. This is the first time I’ve seen a FIFA president bow to interference from outside parties. The most sensational case, of course, was the rescinding of a red card issued to a U.S. player after a phone call from Donald Trump.

If that happens, I’ll support it! If a full-scale investigation is conducted, I’m almost certain we’ll be in for some sensational news. BUT… we’ll also see very powerful attempts to "shut down" this investigation, since some very well-known names and huge sums of money might come to light... And what’s important is that there have been countless similar cases in the past that were ignored. Corruption is a cancer in our world, and we must fight it with the utmost severity!

Given what has happened, it is indeed time to take action against Infantino because he has tarnished FIFA’s reputation. Although, of course, there will surely be behind the scenes maneuvering to halt this investigation, since Infantino certainly does not want to be fired as FIFA president. After all, if this case were to blow up, I imagine Infantino’s fate would be similar to that of Sepp Blatter, whose case shocked the world.

[Slow death]

After seeing Cape Verde play very well in this World Cup and many African teams having advanced from the group stage, I agree with the idea of ​​increasing the number of teams from 48 to 64, because that way Africa will have more good teams in the World Cup and who knows, we could win the World Cup this time. Because let's suppose that in this World Cup there were 64 teams and more places for the African continent, then Cameroon, Nigeria and even my country could be in this World Cup and that could be very good for the African continent.

[swogerino]

Things so far have gone smooth for this 48 teams event of the World Cup and this sets a good precedent to improve further to 64 teams. I would be even more radical, make a World Cup where there is no need of pre qualifiers, all countries are in, I think this would be much more difficult to release as a lot of stadiums are needed together with many days for a group stage and that is why I think it is an utopia to be achieved while the 64 teams format it is highly achievable.

[DrBeer]

I may be wrong, please correct me, but I can’t recall a World Cup this disgraceful, or such appalling behavior on FIFA’s part... They turned the World Cup into some kind of spectacle... I wonder if there will be legal proceedings and investigations into "external influence on decision-making" after the tournament? I think that would be telling.

This World Cup has been absolutely terrible. There have been reports circulating that Gianni Infantino may face legal action or an investigation because he is suspected of violating the principle of political neutrality, abusing his authority, and allowing external parties to interfere in decision-making. This is the first time I’ve seen a FIFA president bow to interference from outside parties. The most sensational case, of course, was the rescinding of a red card issued to a U.S. player after a phone call from Donald Trump.

If that happens, I’ll support it! If a full-scale investigation is conducted, I’m almost certain we’ll be in for some sensational news. BUT… we’ll also see very powerful attempts to "shut down" this investigation, since some very well-known names and huge sums of money might come to light... And what’s important is that there have been countless similar cases in the past that were ignored. Corruption is a cancer in our world, and we must fight it with the utmost severity!

Given what has happened, it is indeed time to take action against Infantino because he has tarnished FIFA’s reputation. Although, of course, there will surely be behind the scenes maneuvering to halt this investigation, since Infantino certainly does not want to be fired as FIFA president. After all, if this case were to blow up, I imagine Infantino’s fate would be similar to that of Sepp Blatter, whose case shocked the world.

Unfortunately, I suspect that Infantino is merely the "tip of the iceberg", and that beneath the surface there are still a huge number of similar violations that have been going on for many years and decades. It was simply "not the done thing" for the global public to speak openly about this, let alone disrupt the system designed to generate enormous profits and facilitate manipulation.
Unfortunately, a great many international institutions, including sports organizations, are mired in corruption, and this affects everyone, because one can assume that very well-known figures have become involved in this....

[pawel7777]

Another pearl most of us had no idea about:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/world-cup-fifa-celebrities-infantino-37431314

Apparently, FIFA has broadcasting rules that require all broadcasters to show certain things not necessarily related to the game itself.
As per the linked article, the rules require certain celebrities and FIFA officials, including FIFA's president, Giano Infantino, to be shown during the semi-finals and during the final game.

This is the first time I've heard about such rules and I wonder if they had anything like that in the past tournaments. If this is not a standard practice, it smells like a blatant self-promotion by Infantino, who will be looking for re-election in 2027.

[LordShanken]

After seeing Cape Verde play very well in this World Cup and many African teams having advanced from the group stage, I agree with the idea of ​​increasing the number of teams from 48 to 64, because that way Africa will have more good teams in the World Cup and who knows, we could win the World Cup this time. Because let's suppose that in this World Cup there were 64 teams and more places for the African continent, then Cameroon, Nigeria and even my country could be in this World Cup and that could be very good for the African continent.

Africa has so much talent, and seeing Cape Verde and other teams do amazing in this World Cup proves that African football is growing so fast. If the World Cup expands to 64 teams, countries like Nigeria and Cameroon definitely deserve to be there. More slots for the African continent would give more players a chance to shine on the biggest stage. It would be amazing to see your country there too! With more teams, an African country winning the World Cup could really happen soon.

[pawel7777]

Africa has so much talent, and seeing Cape Verde and other teams do amazing in this World Cup proves that African football is growing so fast. If the World Cup expands to 64 teams, countries like Nigeria and Cameroon definitely deserve to be there. More slots for the African continent would give more players a chance to shine on the biggest stage. It would be amazing to see your country there too! With more teams, an African country winning the World Cup could really happen soon.

What does African football even mean nowadays? The majority of the French team and a big chunk of the English team are ethnic Africans, while a lot of players of African teams permanently live in Europe and play for European teams.
Expanding the number of teams to 64 is not feasible. If that happened, would there even be a point in having World Cup qualifiers? We could as well just let every team play in the finals straight away.
Increasing the number of participating teams from 32 to 48 added 40 new games in total. Allowing another 16 teams would just reduce the prestige of each game. If a team is good enough to participate, they shouldn't have a problem getting through the qualifications.

[Davidvictorson]

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.

Very soon we will get accustomed to the new change ;  format and rules.
We will definitely see more of AI in future games and who know FIFA maybe debut an AI referee in the next world cup match.
The VAR did increase objectivity but overall the subject decisions of the referees still superseded.
Hydration breaks...hmmm ... it was good. Maybe in future tournaments, there will be cooling rooms in the stadium for players to go to during the hydration breaks to cool off.
The three country hosting is also a great idea economically, and in terms of security for the host nations. It reduces the strain on the country. I wonder who the next host would be.

[Daniel91]

Unfortunately, many recent changes in the competition system, such as increasing the number of participants in the World Cup from 32 to 48 and introducing the so-called hydration break are not in the interests of football or fans, but solely for FIFA's profit.
Due to the hydration breaks, FIFA can sell more advertising to advertisers and, according to some estimates, they have already earned a billion dollars on this alone.
Increasing the number of participants from 32 to 48, and probably soon to 64, has practically "cemented" the status of FIFA President Infantino at the head of the organization for the next 20 or 30 years because at each FIFA congress he will now have enough votes for re-election.
This was probably one of the main motivations for this decision, along with of course a larger number of matches and greater profit for FIFA.
Realistically, with these changes it turns out that anyone can qualify for the World Cup, now we have a large number of "boring" matches that no one is interested in, and the entire competition has become too long and too tiring for the players.

[TopTort777]

Not much of a football guy so please forgive if I say something stupid.

They have increased number of participants (they might increase it to 64) - that is bad imho. Tournament is running to long. Some teams came straight from their clubs (which means they have little time to rest), others (not top countries) have more time for rest and preparation for games. 5 week long tournament + acclimatization period and camp = players dont see their familiar for too long. Increased number of participants decreases value of a final trophy. Why not let 195 countries play next time and make a tournament that will last for half a year ?

[$crypto$]

Unfortunately, many recent changes in the competition system, such as increasing the number of participants in the World Cup from 32 to 48 and introducing the so-called hydration break are not in the interests of football or fans, but solely for FIFA's profit.
Due to the hydration breaks, FIFA can sell more advertising to advertisers and, according to some estimates, they have already earned a billion dollars on this alone.
Increasing the number of participants from 32 to 48, and probably soon to 64, has practically "cemented" the status of FIFA President Infantino at the head of the organization for the next 20 or 30 years because at each FIFA congress he will now have enough votes for re-election.
This was probably one of the main motivations for this decision, along with of course a larger number of matches and greater profit for FIFA.
Realistically, with these changes it turns out that anyone can qualify for the World Cup, now we have a large number of "boring" matches that no one is interested in, and the entire competition has become too long and too tiring for the players.

Obviously with the hydration break it benefits FIFA because in the remaining 3 minutes the advertisement appears, we as football fans do not like this, but FIFA argues that in the United States there is an ektream hot weather so it needs a break.

I have heard this for a long time from the beginning of 32 to 48 and in the next World Cup it will be 64 teams that will qualify ---  although this is a lot of criticism from various federations, I do not know how it will be.

[SensitiveEyes]

64 teams in the FWC is too many. FIFA should make the world cup short and exciting. The best country teams should take part in the FWC. 64 teams will make the world cup complicated and boring because the country must be good enough to play. 48 teams did not make the world cup better so why think about 64. FIFA want to change the world cup without asking fans. Fans want to see exciting games so 64 teams will not work.

The 64-team format for the new World Cup is just a plan, FIFA hasn't announced it yet. But from a profit perspective, it wouldn't be surprising if it were implemented in the next World Cup, as that's what FIFA is looking for.
But it's true that it would reduce the excitement, create more boring matches, and frankly, I prefer the old format.

FIFA looks at everything from a profit point of view. The 64 team format will reduce excitement across the world cup. If FIFA bring 64 teams to the next world cup there will be boring matches. The broadcasters will pay to broadcast boring games but the world cup should be played by the best teams.

[pawel7777]

There are rumours about the game for the 3rd place between England and France having to be moved.
The match is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) evening, 22:00 UK time at Miami, but weather forecasts show a possibility of thunderstorms.
There's the "8 miles rule" (I'm not sure if introduced by FIFA or if it's an American thing) that says that a game must be suspended or delayed if there is lightning within 8 miles of the venue and can be resumed after 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike.
So if Miami gets in the middle of a thunderstorm tomorrow evening, we could see the match getting pushed back by even a few hours at worst, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

[KTChampions]

There are rumours about the game for the 3rd place between England and France having to be moved.
The match is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) evening, 22:00 UK time at Miami, but weather forecasts show a possibility of thunderstorms.
There's the "8 miles rule" (I'm not sure if introduced by FIFA or if it's an American thing) that says that a game must be suspended or delayed if there is lightning within 8 miles of the venue and can be resumed after 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike.
So if Miami gets in the middle of a thunderstorm tomorrow evening, we could see the match getting pushed back by even a few hours at worst, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

I wonder if this game is postponed or rescheduled, will the final be rescheduled?  It would be extremely strange to watch the final first and then the third-place game, it would violate all traditions. On the other hand, no one cares about the game for third place, I think both France and England just want to go home as soon as possible, and all these delays and postponements will only be additional torment for them. As for the fans, I also find it unlikely that anyone takes the "competition" for bronze seriously.

[Rgram]

Given what has happened, it is indeed time to take action against Infantino because he has tarnished FIFA’s reputation. Although, of course, there will surely be behind the scenes maneuvering to halt this investigation, since Infantino certainly does not want to be fired as FIFA president. After all, if this case were to blow up, I imagine Infantino’s fate would be similar to that of Sepp Blatter, whose case shocked the world.

Unfortunately, I suspect that Infantino is merely the "tip of the iceberg", and that beneath the surface there are still a huge number of similar violations that have been going on for many years and decades.

There were hands at play to the rise of Infantino, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you they say, surely Infantino have plotters and so long as they stay profitable in whatever business or plot of the day with them, the rules wouldn’t apply much.

I don’t think there would be any fairness in the way the rules of the game is applied no matter who seats that throne but at least, it shouldn’t be as open as it is, there shouldn’t be favorites and we shouldn’t have a tournament where the players are put in a condition that might affect their play. Such is the ills we’ve experienced with this tournament and it’s a real shitty one.

[SensitiveEyes]

Given what has happened, it is indeed time to take action against Infantino because he has tarnished FIFA’s reputation. Although, of course, there will surely be behind the scenes maneuvering to halt this investigation, since Infantino certainly does not want to be fired as FIFA president. After all, if this case were to blow up, I imagine Infantino’s fate would be similar to that of Sepp Blatter, whose case shocked the world.

Unfortunately, I suspect that Infantino is merely the "tip of the iceberg", and that beneath the surface there are still a huge number of similar violations that have been going on for many years and decades.

There were hands at play to the rise of Infantino, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you they say, surely Infantino have plotters and so long as they stay profitable in whatever business or plot of the day with them, the rules wouldn’t apply much.

I don’t think there would be any fairness in the way the rules of the game is applied no matter who seats that throne but at least, it shouldn’t be as open as it is, there shouldn’t be favorites and we shouldn’t have a tournament where the players are put in a condition that might affect their play. Such is the ills we’ve experienced with this tournament and it’s a real shitty one.

FIFA rules must be equal for every team. Did you notice the words people use about Giovanni Infantino they make Sepp Blatter look like an angel. How is FIFA getting a clean name in the future if people say matches are fixed and FIFA is dirty with corruption. How many years will Giovanni Infantino head FIFA.

[KTChampions]

FIFA rules must be equal for every team. Did you notice the words people use about Giovanni Infantino they make Sepp Blatter look like an angel. How is FIFA getting a clean name in the future if people say matches are fixed and FIFA is dirty with corruption. How many years will Giovanni Infantino head FIFA.

The next FIFA presidential "election" will take place in 2027. But to understand what kind of "election" it will be, you need to look at how the previous one (in 2023) went 
Guess how many candidates there were in that election? Yes, exactly one, and Infantino "won the election" 
FIFA is a bastard mafia organization, everything is decided without elections. I don't know why they even formally hold them. Even if Infantino is replaced by someone else, it will most likely be a new bastard, not a transition to honest work.

[$crypto$]

The next FIFA presidential "election" will take place in 2027. But to understand what kind of "election" it will be, you need to look at how the previous one (in 2023) went 
Guess how many candidates there were in that election? Yes, exactly one, and Infantino "won the election" 
FIFA is a bastard mafia organization, everything is decided without elections. I don't know why they even formally hold them. Even if Infantino is replaced by someone else, it will most likely be a new bastard, not a transition to honest work.

Next year, there won't be any candidates, right? Infantino will continue in office.

It's like already in the set that he has to continue again, do not be surprised about his depraved FIFA it's his reality there are billions of dollars of money flowing, who is not tempted?

The World Cup is now full of advertising, more frequent breaks, and in the final later in the half-time break it will be even longer if not mistaken 17 minutes or 30 minutes, boring again.

[snipie]

I'm only wondering how Infantino will pack qualifiers when spots in WC is getting bigger to ensure it's not wrecking the players.

FIFA main objective right now is money. How to collect more money by any possible way. Increasing the World Cup teams to 64, means more money for FIFA and the hosting nation(s) and at the same time, less money for the continental federation unless they are counting to split the continent on several parts or modifying the qualifiers to become a sort of tournament with ranking like CONMEBOL. Keeping it the same way will be make it quite ridiculous and will exhaust players further.