FIFA’s massive experiment may have made the World Cup too big for its own good

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Super large world cup With more teams, more games, and even more host countries than ever before, big questions remain on Earth’s biggest sports show. “How much is too much?”

The latest World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will push the boundaries of how far the most popular sport on the planet can go before reaching breaking point.

Is this the limit of top athletes’ physical strength? threaten strike action The attention span of fans in an age of ever-crowded calendars, seemingly wall-to-wall soccer coverage; exorbitant price People are prepared to pay for tickets and even parking, but there are plenty of pressure points heading into the June-July tournament.

Some say this year’s tournament, which has expanded from 32 to 48 teams and will run for nearly six weeks, risks diluting FIFA’s most treasured creations.

“Personally, it takes away a little bit of the excitement and quality of the tournament and it’s like it doesn’t start until the round of 32,” former U.S. national team forward Clint Dempsey told The Associated Press.

The expanded format has virtually eliminated the possibility of multiple top teams being in the same group, known in soccer parlance as a “group of death.”

Many of the dangers traditionally seen in the early stages of a tournament are removed by the round of 16. This is because the third place team in the top eight also advances from the group to the round of 32.

“I think the biggest danger is the dilution of the spectacle,” says Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup.

“Maybe FIFA will get away with it this time, because it’s the first expanded tournament and the ticket prices are high. But in the end, broadcasters and fans may not care if the tournament doesn’t get interesting until the last 16,” Wilson said. “World Cup matches should be almost like must-sees… 90 out of 104 games no one watches. There are just too many.”

FIFA says it’s growing the game

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says expanding the tournament will make the game more exciting. “Truly global” And it creates opportunities for countries “never dreamed of” to participate in the World Cup.

The theory is that with more chances to qualify, more countries will increase their grassroots funding, which in turn will improve the standard of soccer around the world.

The following four countries will be participating in this year’s competition for the first time. small curacao islandthe smallest population-based population ever to qualify.

“It’s a big achievement for us to get through, but we also want to show that we can play and that we deserve to play,” Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room said.

Jordan, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan are the other first-time participants. Haiti qualified for the first time since 1974.

Haitian national team midfielder Yassin Fortune said, “When we were kids, we all watched the World Cup. Everyone dreamed of playing in the World Cup. But when you were a kid, it was just a dream, a fantasy. To qualify and play is something you can’t even imagine.”

There are certainly some good stories. Like Haitian goalkeeper Josué Deberge, he will be competing in German regional football alongside Brazilian superstars such as Vinicius Junior and Neymar. New Zealand called up defender Tommy Smith from Braintree Town, who were relegated from England’s fifth division this season.

Critics say sometimes less is more.

Maheta Molango, chief executive of the English Professional Footballers’ Association, is one of the leading voices warning of the impact on top players who are increasingly being asked to play football.

He said the football world needs to follow the guidance set by the NFL and appreciate the “value of scarcity” as product quality declines.

The NFL average is approximately $11 billion in revenue per season from media dealsTeams play 17 regular season games and up to 21 games if they make it to the Super Bowl.

England’s Premier League is the richest and most-watched soccer league in the world, but its financial numbers lag the NFL. Its teams play 36 games each season, and its most recent domestic broadcast deal was worth $9 billion over four years at current exchange rates. International trade between 2022 and 2025 is reportedly worth $7.2 billion. Their annual broadcast revenue combined is less than half that of the NFL.

Given the global reach of soccer, Molango said soccer needs to think about the quality of its output.

“We’re targeting China, the US, India. So I think this should make us think about the value of scarcity, because sometimes we think more is always better, but I don’t think so,” he said. “The starting point has to be, ‘Let’s put the quality of the program back at the heart of the project.'”

Growing concerns about player health

In addition to the product in question, the players’ association is concerned about the physical and mental strain on top stars who have little rest. After this World Cup, many will be playing a third consecutive major tournament in the off-season, following the 2024 European Championship and Copa America, and last summer’s newly expanded Club World Cup.

In December, the world player association FIFPRO announced that Chelsea had experienced the following situation: Injuries jump by 44% after winning club world cup.

some top players Including Brazilian star players rodrigo, Eder Militão Estevao has suffered injuries in recent months that have ruled him out of tournaments.

Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher said: “I think top players are treated a bit like livestock.” “When you start getting criticism about their performances at certain stages of the World Cup, I think we have to remember how much football they’ve been playing and the conditions they’re playing in. And it seems like everyone who organizes football has never thought about the physical and mental demands placed on top players.”

As the number of matches increases, FIFA’s revenue also increases.

The World Cup is FIFA’s main source of income, and the economic benefits of expanding it are compelling.

With 104 total games, more tickets will be sold, and prices for the best seats at the biggest games will rise into the thousands of dollars.

When tickets went on sale to the general public in January, prices ranged from $140 to $8,680. Since then, some have become available at lower prices and others at significantly higher prices. In the final round, the face value rose to $32,970.

FIFA can make more money on the resale market, which takes a 30% commission on every sale. Platform listed in April 4 tickets to the finals, each costing just under $2.3 million.

Fans are blaming FIFA “Major betrayal” regarding pricing strategyBut demand appears to be high, and the nonprofit says the money raised will go back into the sport.

If that’s the case, soccer can expect a big windfall from the World Cup, which is expected to generate more than $9 billion in revenue this year.

It remains to be seen whether this oversized format will be uncomfortable for fans. Attendance measurement company Nielsen said interest in international soccer is growing in the United States.

The most-watched match on television in the United States from 2023 to 2025 was the Euro final between Spain and England, with an average audience of 6.6 million viewers. In second place was the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, with 6.5 million viewers.

At press time, FIFA had media deals in place with 180 territories to broadcast the tournament, with plans to expand further, showing demand remains strong despite concerns.

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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup