Ampadu in Wales squad

[tom_ecfc]

Nice to see Ampadu feature on the front picture of the Wales vs England BBC article today.

World Cup 2022: Wales and England to go head-to-head in Group B https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63773015

 

[wrekin]

the next world cup goes up to 48 teams - it will be full of tinpot outfits like wales unfortunately.

Yes, 16 teams to qualify from Europe. The proposed structure of WC2026 is ridiculous. 16 groups of 3 with 2 qualifying from each group into an additional ‘round of 32’ knockout. Teams will only get 2 group games and as the final round of group games can’t involve all teams, you can imagine the opportunity for collusion with an Austria v West Germany type scenario.
The finalists will still get to play 7 matches and the tournament will be roughly the same duration, but more teams, more games (80, up from 64), more money is clearly worth sacrificing the integrity of the competition.
FIFA really don’t help themselves do they.

 

[Grecian in Cumbria]

Yes, 16 teams to qualify from Europe. The proposed structure of WC2026 is ridiculous. 16 groups of 3 with 2 qualifying from each group into an additional ‘round of 32’ knockout. Teams will only get 2 group games and as the final round of group games can’t involve all teams, you can imagine the opportunity for collusion with an Austria v West Germany type scenario.
The finalists will still get to play 7 matches and the tournament will be roughly the same duration, but more teams, more games (80, up from 64), more money is clearly worth sacrificing the integrity of the competition.
FIFA really don’t help themselves do they.

Yes FIFA are wrekin () the world cup - may as well scrap all qualifying, include every country in the world and have a straight knockout FA Cup style!

 

[denzel]

It is mad. So one team might have a ten day gap between games, others will play two in five days. The latter particularly difficult given the vast distances between venues

 

[grecianstew]

Yep, and with only 3 teams per group the potential for all 3 to have identical records is huge. Will they then decide on tosses of coins? Madness

 

[Egg]

Yep, and with only 3 teams per group the potential for all 3 to have identical records is huge. Will they then decide on tosses of coins? Madness

Quite. Wouldn't eight groups of six, with the top four in each progressing to the round of 32, make more sense?

Or even 12 groups of four, with the top two in each and eight 'best losers' going through.

 

[Boyo]

Quite. Wouldn't eight groups of six, with the top four in each progressing to the round of 32, make more sense?

Or even 12 groups of four, with the top two in each and eight 'best losers' going through.

Eight groups of six teams, would entail each team playing five group games. The eventual finalists would play 10 games, so the tournament would last at least another two weeks longer.

I think the format works perfectly as it is.

 

[Boyo]

There's also a desire at FIFA to have the World Cup every two years. Absolutely idiotic.

 

[andrew p long]

Group of 3. First two games finish 1-1. Third game - if it finishes 2-2 both of those teams go through because (with points and goal difference equal) of higher goals scored?

 

[Colesman Ballz]

It is pretty amazing how football manages to survive whilst being run by the incompetent bunch of tw**s that is FIFA !