No need to do the frantic Group C third-place calculations... "Having 64 teams is better than 48." The reasons why expanding the number of World Cup participants must be welcomed

*This content was translated by AI.

As the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) considers expanding the number of World Cup participants from 48 to 64 nations, there are also many voices welcoming the move. Although the number of participating countries will increase, the tournament's operational structure, including the path to the knockout stage, could actually become simpler.

Reuters reported on the 13th (Korea time) that "FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated in an interview that he plans to discuss with FIFA officials the possibility of adding 16 more teams ahead of the 2030 World Cup."

In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) recently argued in an interview with Swiss media Bluewin that expanding the number of World Cup participants from the current 48 to 64 nations could be reasonable. He said, "Expanding to 64 nations is an issue that will certainly be reviewed and discussed by the relevant committee after this World Cup concludes," and explained, "The World Cup must be made into a tournament for the entire world, not just Europe and South America."

He continued, "Every country should be able to dream of participating in the World Cup. We were able to confirm that the competitive level of participating nations was very high even at the CONCACAF World Cup. The standard of national teams is rising globally. If we do not give smaller nations opportunities to participate in the World Cup, they may lose their motivation to continue developing."

The World Cup, first held in Uruguay in 1930, proceeded under a 32-nation format from 1998 until 2022. Starting with the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup, the number of participating nations increased to 48. There were also significant concerns ahead of the tournament. As the number of matches increased, players faced greater physical burdens and injury risks, and there were criticisms that the overall level of the World Cup could decline as many relatively weaker teams participated.

However, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) evaluated the CONCACAF World Cup held under the 48th-nation format as "a tremendous success." He emphasized, "All teams demonstrated a high level of competitiveness. Teams from every continent scored goals and secured at least one point."

He further explained, "Nine out of ten African participating teams advanced to the knockout stage. In the previous World Cup, there were only five African participating teams. This shows how important it is to include all teams and provide them with opportunities to participate in the World Cup."

Satisfied with the results of the CONCACAF World Cup, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) brought up the possibility of expanding to 64 nations as the next step. Although no plan has been finalized yet, it is being discussed that a new format could be applied starting from the 2030 tournament at the earliest.

The 2030 World Cup will mark its centenary, with one match each held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, followed by the remaining schedule in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. Since the tournament will take place across multiple continents, travel distances will increase, and players' burdens will inevitably grow. Controversy over the tournament level due to the expansion of participating nations is also likely to intensify.

However, the 64th-nation format does not have only disadvantages. In fact, the tournament's operational method could be much cleaner than under the 48th-nation format. The biggest change is that the complicated competition for third-place finishes could disappear. At the CONCACAF World Cup, not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12th groups advanced to the Round of 32. This was a nearly inevitable method created to advance 32 out of 48 nations to the knockout stage.

There were many problems as well. Even after completing the group stage schedule, teams had to constantly calculate goal differences and goals scored while watching the results of third-placed teams from other groups. South Korea and Scotland, which finished their group stages earlier than other teams, were representative cases.

South Korea recorded one win and two losses, finishing third in Group A. However, even immediately after the conclusion of the group stage, whether they would advance to the Round of 32 remained undetermined. They had to wait until all group matches ended while calculating scenarios based on results from other groups, but ultimately failed to advance to the knockout stage.

South Korean players, including national team captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), had to spend several days waiting for results before packing their bags upon confirming their elimination. For Scotland, which had a lower probability of advancing to the Round of 32 than South Korea, the wait was even more cruel. Some Scottish local media outlets and fans expressed dissatisfaction with the situation at the time, describing it as "feeling like waiting for a death sentence."

The biggest inconvenience was experienced by football fans who visited the World Cup venue. Since it remained undetermined whether their supported team would advance to the Round of 32, they had to continue waiting in local cities such as the United States, Mexico, and Canada. During the World Cup period, accommodation costs, airfare, and food expenses rise significantly, so the longer the wait, the greater the burden became. If the supported team was eliminated after a long wait, the additional money and time spent would have been meaningless.

Even if they advanced to the Round of 32, the problems did not end. This is because it was impossible to immediately know in which city the next match would be played. FIFA assigned different Round of 32 matchups depending on which group the eight third-placed teams came from. There were a total of 495 possible combinations. If South Korea had advanced to the Round of 32 as a third-placed team, there was a possibility they would play in Boston or Seattle, USA. Scotland also had several cities mentioned as potential venues, including New York, Boston, and Mexico City.

Immediately after it was confirmed whether they would advance to the Round of 32, there was a structure that required urgently securing airfare, accommodation, and match tickets. Scottish fans stayed in Miami, USA, where the third group stage match was held while waiting to see if they would advance, but ultimately had to return after confirming the worst outcome: elimination.

Under the 64th-nation format, these problems could be largely eliminated. Teams would be divided into 16 groups of four, and only the top two teams from each group would advance to the Round of 32. The complicated third-place calculations would disappear, and since only half of the four teams in each group would advance to the knockout stage, the tension during the group stage could also be heightened. There would be no need to wait for results from other groups as in the current format. Teams that finish within the top two advance, while those falling to third or lower are eliminated. Fans can also make travel plans immediately after the match.

At the CONCACAF World Cup, a system was applied where group stage rankings were determined by head-to-head results rather than goal difference first, leading to some teams being eliminated early. If the group stage rankings under the 64th-nation format are decided again based on the priority of goal differences, this problem could also be mitigated.

The British Daily Mail introduced these advantages and expressed a positive outlook on expanding to 64 nations. The media stated, "If the World Cup is conducted with 64 nations, a total of 128 matches will be held, potentially extending the tournament duration by at least four days," but also explained, "By scheduling second and third group stage matches from multiple groups at the same time slots, the increase in the overall tournament duration can be reduced."

The New York Post also evaluated that "FIFA's gamble with a 48-nation World Cup could not have produced better results than this." The media argued, "Although numerous concerns were raised regarding the expansion to 48 nations, even FIFA might have found it difficult to imagine better results. Except for some one-sided matches, there was hardly any feeling that the tournament level declined."

It further added, "Rather than showing reasons to return to a 32-nation format, the fact that the final group stage matches lacked relative tension seems to be grounds for expanding to 64 nations instead."

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*This content was translated by AI.