Saudis prove FIFA ‘48’ plan bonkers

IF you thought Saudi Arabia were bad, just wait until World Cup 2026.

That is when Gianni Infantino’s (below) idea to have 48 teams in the competition will, almost certainly, be implemented.

Forty-eight teams spread across three countries, 48 teams across Mexico, Canada and the United States.

But never mind the sprawling nature of the event, how about the quality?

Saudi Arabia were truly awful on Thursday night but they earned their right to be at the tournament.

They finished second in their six-team qualification group, ahead of Australia.

But in 2026, under the new format, there are likely to be four teams from Asia at the World Cup who are worse than the Saudis.

Naturally, you will get minnows, and perhaps Saudi Arabia had a particularly bad night at the office. That’s fine, that’s acceptable.

But expanding to 48 would simply make the opening stages a formality.

Two teams would qualify from a group of three that would probably include one no-hoper.

The current format is fine. Changing it would be farcical. This World Cup should prove that to FIFA.

Don’t bet on it, though.

PS: We are in for a belting opener to World Cup 2022. It will be someone against Qatar, a team that recently lost to Liechtenstein.