Jun 30, 2026
The 48-team World Cup was supposed to be soft. The last 32 says otherwise
Germany and the Netherlands are gone, both on penalties, and the expanded format that was meant to cushion the big sides has done nothing of the sort...
48-team World Cup
5 articles tagged with "48-team World Cup"
Jun 27, 2026
The 48-team World Cup gave us Cape Verde, but it also gave the big sides a safety net
Cape Verde’s debut run and Uruguay’s exit are everything FIFA hoped the bigger World Cup would produce. The trouble is that letting 32 of 48 teams thr...
Jun 22, 2026
The 48-team World Cup’s best story is its smallest nations
The 48-team World Cup was billed as a recipe for mismatches. Two weeks in, Cape Verde, Curacao and Egypt have made the expanded tournament a stage for...
Jun 15, 2026
The 48-team World Cup’s opening round belonged to the sides nobody expected
Germany’s 7-1 rout of Curacao was the nightmare the expansion’s critics predicted. The rest of the opening round told a more encouraging story.
Jun 11, 2026
Forty-eight teams, three hosts and four debutants: the 2026 World Cup has arrived
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest ever, with 48 teams, three host nations and 104 matches. It has also opened the door to four first-time countries, f...