The World Cup is broken by greed: Could this idea fix it?

The prospect of watching prime Ronaldo or Kanu take on David Beckham and co. made the very early bike ride worthwhile. On reflection, I really pity the poor teachers who had to try and motivate my group of year 5s, who had just witnessed Ronaldinho lobbing David Seaman to send us home.

Would I make the same effort next year to watch England play a first round dead rubber against Uzbekistan, Jordan, or Cape Verde (all qualifiers) - in an expanded 48 team tournament?

Yes, probably, to be honest. Any football fan is also a sucker for punishment.

But you hopefully get the point. After sitting through some dire matches, where the Three Lions just about overcame Andorra, reaching the World Cup should feel like the promised land awaits and that we’ll be treated to the best the world has to offer.

However, with 16 extra teams set to bulk out the old 32-team format, next year’s tournament means that the great to mediocre team ratio is being tipped in favour of the latter. The majority of the games played will be in a colossal group stage that will see minnows play megastars.

Clearly Fifa loves a mismatch. Its recent Club World Cup saw the sorry affair of Bayern Munich’s all-stars destroy Auckland City 10-0, and there could be similar drubbings if the likes of New Caledonia (still in contention to qualify) are drawn against Brazil.

Fifa might argue that this expansion is to do with inclusivity - but let’s be honest and call it out for the greed that it is. More games is more advertising, more commercial potential, and more money. The profit will be greater, yet the brand and football quality has been devalued.

What’s also frustrating is that (due to playing tough opponents) Nigeria, Italy, Sweden and Chile could all miss out, while relative minnows have had a path to qualification with fewer obstacles than the first level of Crash Bandicoot.

I have a solution, therefore, that means fewer drab qualification games, a faster and more varied international system, less flying around, and fewer England games against San Marino.

I propose that the summer before every World Cup, there are 31 qualification groups of four or five teams. These are selected based on Fifa World Rankings and have a mixture of teams of different continents and levels (eg. Argentina, Senegal, Wales, and Qatar). They all play each other over a two week period in the same, neutral venue. And the winners of all 31 groups qualify (alongside the next host nation) for the World Cup the following year. And as only one team qualifies, it would incentivise all of those involved to really go for the win in each match.

My idea will not happen. But at least with the next World Cup happening in Mexico, the US and Canada, the time difference will not mean any young fans need to be at school at 7am.

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William Mata is SEO editor of LBC

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