Year in football: expansion, mismatches point to direction Fifa will take ‘beautiful game’
‘Success’ of Club World Cup, bigger World Cup go hand in hand with more money, technology coming in, but player welfare is an issue
Bigger does not always mean better but try telling that to those who govern the world’s most popular sport as they reflect on a jam-packed year and begin the countdown to a supersized World Cup that will dwarf previous tournaments.
World football’s governing body, Fifa – not to mention continental confederations, national leagues and broadcasters – will argue that the appetite for the “beautiful game” is insatiable and will point to the past 12 months as evidence.
Fifa described its expanded 32-team Club World Cup as a “roaring success” with 2.4 million fans attending the summer tournament in the United States, including 81,000 for the final in which Chelsea beat Paris St Germain.
The fact Auckland City FC lost 10-0 to Bayern Munich and 6-0 to Benfica while Al-Ain suffered 5-0 and 6-0 defeats raised questions about quality control.
Such mismatches, however, will litter the World Cup.
A record 48 nations – up from 32 in Qatar in 2022 – will descend on the United States, Canada and Mexico for a 104-match tournament that will test the endurance of players, supporters and media to the absolute limit.