{"id":1033,"date":"2026-05-21T10:04:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1033"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:04:40","slug":"fifas-big-experiment-may-have-made-the-world-cup-too-big-for-its-own-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1033","title":{"rendered":"FIFA\u2019s big experiment may have made the World Cup too big for its own good"},"content":{"rendered":"

MANCHESTER, England \u2014 A supersized World Cup<\/a> with more teams, more games and even more host nations than ever before leaves a big question hanging over the biggest sporting show on earth: How much is too much?<\/p>\n

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The latest edition of the World Cup \u2014 co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico \u2014 will push the boundaries of how far the most popular sport on the planet can go before it reaches breaking point.<\/p>\n

Be it the limits of physical endurance as top players threaten strike action<\/a> over an ever-congested calendar, the attention span of fans in an age of seemingly wall-to-wall televised soccer or the exorbitant prices<\/a> people are prepared to pay for tickets \u2014 or even parking \u2014 the pressure points are numerous going into the June-July tournament.<\/p>\n

With an expanded 48-team format \u2014 up from 32 \u2014 played out over nearly six weeks, some say this year\u2019s tournament risks a dilution of FIFA\u2019s most prized product.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally think it\u2019s kind of taken a little bit of the excitement and quality away from the tournament and it\u2019s almost like it doesn\u2019t start until the round of 32,\u201d former U.S. forward Clint Dempsey told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The expanded format has effectively removed the chance of several top teams being drawn in the same group \u2014 known as a \u201cgroup of death\u201d in soccer vernacular.<\/p>\n

Much of the jeopardy traditionally seen in the early stages of the tournament has been removed until the round of 16 because the eight best third place teams also advance from the groups the round of 32.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest danger is dilution of spectacle,\u201d said Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe FIFA gets away with it this time because it\u2019s the first expanded tournament and because ticket prices are enormous. But eventually broadcasters and fans may stop caring if the tournament doesn\u2019t become interesting until the last 16,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cA World Cup game should feel almost must-watch… Nobody is watching 90 out of 104 games. It\u2019s just too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the expansion of the tournament will make the game \u201ctruly global\u201d<\/a> and create opportunities for countries that \u201cwould never have dreamed to participate\u201d in a World Cup.<\/p>\n

The theory is that given a greater chance to qualify, more nations would increase grass roots funding and therefore improve the standard of soccer around the globe.<\/p>\n

Four nations will be making their debut at this year\u2019s tournament, including tiny Curacao<\/a> , the smallest by population ever to qualify.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big achievement for us to make it, but we also want to show that we can play and that we deserve to be there,\u201d Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room said.<\/p>\n

Jordan, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan are the other debutants. Haiti has qualified for the first time since 1974.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs children, we all watched the World Cup. We all dreamed of playing in the World Cup. But it was just a dream, a fantasy when you\u2019re a child. Qualifying and being able to participate is unimaginable,\u201d said Haiti midfielder Yassin Fortune.<\/p>\n

There are certainly feel-good stories. Like Haiti goalkeeper Josu\u00e9 Duverger, who will swap regional soccer in Germany to rub shoulders with Brazil superstars like Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior and Neymar. New Zealand has called up defender Tommy Smith from Braintree Town, which was relegated from the fifth tier of English soccer this season.<\/p>\n

Maheta Molango, chief executive of England\u2019s Professional Footballers\u2019 Association, has been one of the leading voices warning about the impact on top players being asked to play more and more soccer.<\/p>\n

He says the quality of the product is being diminished and soccer should follow the lead set by the NFL and appreciate the \u201cvalue of scarcity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The NFL averages nearly $11 billion in revenue per season from its media deals<\/a> , with teams playing 17 regular season games and up to 21 if they make the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

The English Premier League is the world\u2019s richest and most watched soccer league in the world, yet its financial figures do not match the NFL\u2019s. Its teams play 36 games each per season and its latest domestic broadcast deal was worth $9 billion, at current exchange rates, over a four-year period. Its international deals from 2022-25 were reportedly worth $7.2 billion. Even combined, its yearly broadcast revenue is less than half of the NFL\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Considering the greater global reach of soccer, the sport needs to think about the quality of its output, Molango said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe target China, the U.S., India. So this, in my view, should make us reflect on the value of scarcity because sometimes we always think that more is more, but I disagree,\u201d he said. \u201cThe starting point has to be \u2018let\u2019s put back the quality of the show at the center of our project.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only is the product in question, but players unions are concerned about the physical and mental strain on top stars, who are given less rest time. After this World Cup many will have played three consecutive years of major tournaments in the off-season, following the European Championship and Copa America in 2024 and the newly-expanded Club World Cup last summer.<\/p>\n

In December, the global players\u2019 union FIFPRO said Chelsea had seen a 44% spike in injuries<\/a> after winning the Club World Cup<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Several top players<\/a> including Brazil stars Rodrygo<\/a> , \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o<\/a> and Estevao have been ruled of the tournament after picking up injuries in recent months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the top players get treated a little bit like cattle,\u201d former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher said. \u201cIf they start getting criticism for the performances at certain stages of the World Cup, I think we\u2019ve got to remember how much football they\u2019ve played and the conditions that they\u2019re playing the game in and it just doesn\u2019t seem like anyone who organizes football ever thinks about the demands physically and mentally on the on the top players.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Cup is FIFA\u2019s main revenue generator and the financial advantage to expanding it is compelling.<\/p>\n

More games \u2014 104 in total \u2014 means more tickets to sell, with prices rising to thousands of dollars for the best seats at the biggest matches.<\/p>\n

When tickets went on general sale in January they ranged from $140 to $8,680. Since then some have been made available for less and others for significantly more \u2014 rising to a face price of $32,970 for the final.<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA can make more money on its resale marketplace where it takes a 30% commission from each sale. In April the platform listed four tickets to the final for just under $2.3 million each<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Fans have accused FIFA of a \u201cmonumental betrayal\u201d over its pricing strategy<\/a> , but demand appears to be high and the not-for-profit organization says the money it makes goes back into the sport.<\/p>\n

In that case, soccer can expect a bumper windfall from the World Cup, with more than $9 billion in revenue anticipated this year.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen if the supersized format it is a turn-off for fans. Audience measurement company Nielsen says interest in international soccer in the U.S. is on the rise.<\/p>\n

The most watched game on television in the U.S. between 2023-25 was Spain vs. England in the Euros final, with an average audience of 6.6 million. Second was the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia with 6.5 million.<\/p>\n

At the time of reporting FIFA had struck media deals with 180 territories to broadcast the tournament, with more to come, indicating appetite remains strong even amid wider concerns.<\/p>\n

Read more Browns QB race under Monken remains wide open as offseason enters organized practice stage<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

James Robson is at https:\/\/x.com\/jamesalanrobson<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A supersized World Cup with more teams, more games and even more host nations than ever before leaves a big question hanging over the biggest sporting show on earth: How much is too much<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nFIFA\u2019s big experiment may have made the World Cup too big for its own good - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1033\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FIFA\u2019s big experiment may have made the World Cup too big for its own good - 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