New 48-team format fails to impress Poland coach

THE high drama of split-screen tension during simultaneous matches in the final set of World Cup group games is now a thing of the past.

The next tournament in 2026 will feature 48 teams – 16 more than this year in Qatar – and use a different format that will do away with group rivals playing at the same time with advancement and elimination swinging on late goals.

Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz isn’t a fan of the upcoming changes, even though it will give his country more chances to succeed at football’s biggest tournament.

FIFA, the sport’s governing body, are scrapping arguably the perfect tournament structure, one that has been reliably excellent since 1998.

Eight groups of four teams produce a 16-nation knockout round.

The next tournament, which will be hosted by North American neighbours the United States, Canada and Mexico, is expected to have 16 groups of three teams with 32 advancing to the first knockout round.

“I think sometimes this can spoil the show,” Michniewicz said through a translator.

“Sometimes less means more and the more teams there are, the easier it will be to go through. Will this be attractive for the fans?”

Michniewicz’s team were one of several involved in late drama over the last few days in Qatar.

Poland lost to Argentina and could have been eliminated if Saudi Arabia had given up a lastgasp goal to Mexico in the other group match being played at the same time.

In another group, South Korea’s players huddled in a circle on the field after their match against Portugal hoping that Uruguay didn’t score in stoppage time against Ghana. A wild final 20 minutes in Group E saw Costa Rica rise and fall in the real-time standings until Germany’s late flurry of goals, while Spain went from elimination to survival despite being beaten by Japan in the same group.

The new format will add 16 games to the schedule, making it an 80-game tournament in 2026, but it is still expected to fit in the usual 32-day time period.

“And now there are going to be even more matches,” the Poland coach said.

“How long will the tournament last – one and half months?”