Eighth Debate

[Duncan Gardner]

@ Jah

1Why shouldn't [non-elite teams] be given a little more rope? Because the marginal benefit to them doesn't justify expanding the tournament. Their rope as you call it was making the last 32

2 You've answered your broad point- at some stage the tournament becomes overlong/ boring/ a risk to players' fitness and clubs' profit- and ultimately unmanageable. We're just disagreeing where that divide comes

The current holders played 17 matches to win the tournament. That in the R16 didn't make that much difference to the overall quality of the tournament, nor how deserving the Germans were

My point is that the top four teams shouldn't need to play 7 games in the Finals. It irritates me and others including their employers. You're answering it with a mix of largely irrelevant logic and acceptance that things should/ will stay as they are long-term so why challenge? Which in any case is contradicted by the plans for 2026- the long-established 3 games for all finalists is likely to go

4 I'm proposing getting rid of 8 games offering potential upsets. There would still be 55

5 I'm suggesting the tournament is bloated as it is- the evidence being the mediocre teams that regularly appear in it. You aren't really challenging my reasoning- just disagreeing with my bias

[Satchmo Distel]

This year's stage seems quite interesting. It was expanded to 7 games in 1974 and was arguably tougher then as it was a week shorter. If you want 6 games, I would suggest cut to 24 teams, 8 x 3, top 2 through.

[Duncan Gardner]

I want all finalists to be guaranteed 3 games. 2 all round is too limiting and increases the chance of contriving results in the group stage if 2 are to progress.

[Satchmo Distel]

So, you were saying?

[Duncan Gardner]

I'm saying that for all their efforts today Argentina could hardly complain if they'd gone home after an indifferent group stage. Granted some runners-up were much better but them's the breaks

[Satchmo Distel]

It's possible all 8 group winners will go through anyway, so you have a point. However, what about cases where there is very little difference between Pot 1 and Pot 2 seeds, like Spain and Portugal, and the draw is unbalanced?

[Duncan Gardner]

There'll always be luck in a draw, at any stage. So Spain couldn't take risks in qualifying while Germany in a weaker group could afford to experiment using almost 40 players

[Janik]

Dunc was halfway up the Meekong when he started this thread. After yesterday the only way to continue is to go the full Kurtz.

[Duncan Gardner]

Aye that's right, a few suggested tweaks to a football tournament is comparable fo the occasional crass racism or misogyny that features here. Have you been sniffing the napalm?