Having just delivered the most exciting group stage ever seen at a World Cup, with a tried and tested format that keeps hundreds of millions of fans enthralled, FIFA now faces the prospect of ripping it all up.
The sports governing body risks a turgid two weeks of drab games and dead rubbers, plus the possibility of unwanted controversy, as it tries to accommodate 48 teams at the 2026 edition in North America.
It means FIFA is re-thinking the format for the next World Cup as its original plans to have 16 groups of three teams in the first phase, with two from each advancing to the next stage, now look dangerously dull, as well as potentially courting unsporting behavior.
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