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But that’s the point. They couldn’t.

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How many Brazilians will play in the next World Cup?

Should ban Russia, US and anyone that's invaded innocent countries in the past 20 years.

Would be a pretty empty tho

More countries = 33% more places to sell shit. More games = more time to sell ads. Might lengthen the whole deal vs adding more sites, which could overburden potential host countries.

They were. On a whole though you’re seeing more sophisticated tactics at the club level just because the players are picked for a system and it’s honed week in and week out.

Forgot this happened, I thought he retired

Behold, a beautiful system that can work with 48 teams: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-system_tournament

Riggi Riggitini will get his 2nd WC title

I heard the first sport Fosbury pursued seriously was boxing; the track & field team was just for cross-training. But as his career in the ring seemed more uncertain, he suddenly realized: he could make more money with a flop than with a hit!

[I know this is one of many jokes here about the flop. It is justifiable to keep talking about it as it did revolutionize the sport -- most sports don't get revolutionized. I don't think it's bad taste that people here make jokes (but c'mon, give it some effort) about Fosbury and the flop on his death as it's his clear historical legacy (apart from friends and family, comments from/about whom have been rightfully upvoted to the top). I didn't know the guy personally, obviously, but I've discussed the flop in conversation, in coaching, and especially in teaching science. So my contribution to this remembrance thread will be a joke I made up about the flop -- at least it's (hopefully) more entertaining than my physics lecture about it.]

They were planning on changing that to accommodate the larger tournament field in 2026. According to the article, that has been scrapped.

The reason I dislike 3 team groups is that it creates un-competitive incentives. Teams pretty regularly would be forced into scenarios where both teams are perfectly content with a draw in order to make sure both teams advance, and it would be to your competitive disadvantage to play in the first two games.

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With 24 more games, will that increase the amount of sites for the group stages?

I think the games this world cup were quite superior. It might have been because of the mid season break. But they were all great.

I’m confused, hasn’t it always been 4 teams in each group during the group stage?

Who cares? I hate waiting 4 years to sometimes watch my team play only 3 games. More games, more teams, and make it every 3 years is what I say.

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$$$$$$$$

They always wind up killing the golden goose.

Such a weird wording. Basically he proved that he was in fact not doping.

It will give underdeveloped (football) countries chances to feel included and perhaps encourage them to improve to field competitive teams

Why have it in human rights abusing countries? The USA politicians who did Iraq war have still not been held accountable. They had the audacity to call out others.

Guess you missed the part where the 66 nations boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Or the 1984 LA Olympics that a bunch of Soviet Bloc nations and allies boycotted.

The thing is the Olympics the Soviet Bloc boycotted had huge participation by all the other nations where as the 1980 boycott turned the Olympics that year into a farce.