Will the expanded World Cup format make the tournament better through inclusivity, or weaker through reduced average quality?
Yes
More teams mean more nations represented, more global stories, and more genuine growth for developing football regions. It also spreads the World Cup’s economic and cultural impact beyond the usual group of qualifiers.
Quality can rise over time too: when more teams get meaningful tournament experience, federations invest more, players get more visibility, and the “gap” narrows. The expanded Euros model shows that underdogs can add drama and iconic moments, not just filler.
No
The World Cup’s magic is partly its scarcity: elite teams, high stakes, limited spots. Expanding invites more mismatches, more conservative play from smaller teams aiming for a draw, and more “dead rubber” group games, depending on format.
There’s also player welfare. A bigger tournament means more matches and more travel, at a time when elite schedules are already overloaded. If fatigue rises, match quality can fall, and the tournament becomes longer, not necessarily better.
