DRAWING AN UGLY PICTURE

MOSCOW — Fans hated the battle of backpasses that the Denmark-France World Cup match devolved into, and they likely wil l watch more teams collude when soccer’s showcase expands to 48 teams.

The sellout crowd at Luzhniki Stadium started booing early in the second half, angry that two

talented teams were passing the ball back to goalkeepers and refusing to go on the attack. It was a throwback to the 1982 “Disgrace of Gijon,” which pushed FIFA to run group finales at the same time so teams wouldn’t know what they needed to do to advance.

That didn’t work Tuesday

as word spread that Peru was beating Australia , meaning Denmark and France were safe even if the game ended 0-0.

“It was a shame,” said Alison Elias, a 34-year-old from Puebla, Mexico, who watched from the upper deck. “We were actually expecting a nice game. They knew that Peru was winning, so

there wasn’t much at stake.”

FIFA decided to expand the World Cup from 32 nations to 48 starting in 2026, when the tournament will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Adding a dozen weaker teams will likely produce more group-stage blowouts. And the expansion forces a format switch making collusion more likely in a sport known for shenanigans.

In 2026, one nation will be done with group play before the other two meet in the finale. If neither team needs a win, well, you know what to expect.