Emmet Ryan: 'FIFA's forgotten about the journey'

The expanded World Cup may open the competition up to new markets but it will dilute the merit of making it to the big show

It's time to do FIFA a favour. Let's assume the motives behind expanding to a 48 team World Cup are pure. Let's assume it has nothing to do with money or politics. Let's assume this isn't FIFA being FIFA. All of that is fine because even removing all of those factors, the proposal is an objectively terrible idea for football fans.

Getting more global involvement in the World Cup is a worthy motive, no really hear me out. A broader balance of quality across the globe would only help the game. This expansion does nothing to address that. All it does is give a couple of countries not yet good enough to make it to a 32 team tournament a shot at being shown up as not really good enough to get there.

Previous expansions, while built around financial and political motives, have largely made sense. The increased growth of the game brought regions that were beyond the fringes of the game into it more as those regions in turn showed clear improvement over time.

North Korea's involvement in the 1966 World Cup was a result of a bizarre series of events in qualification. Africa, Asia, and Oceania combined had been assigned just one spot between them out of 16 at the tournament. The entire African confederation withdrew, with the exception of South Africa which was banned after the initial withdrawal. The only Asian sides to enter were North Korea and South Korea, until South Korea also withdrew. Leaving just North Korea and Australia to play each other twice, with North Korea winning and going on to have a memorable first World Cup experience.

Contrast that with 2014 where nine of the 32 spots automatically went to teams from these confederations with a further two playoff spots also being allocated. Potentially, that would enable the regions to deliver 11 of the 32 spots on merit. Neither New Zealand nor Jordan held up their parts of the bargain but a fairer route had been established and one that reflected quality along with a global spread.

Instead we are going to get some kind of dull festival where undoubtedly lots of people will watch but quality will be diluted

Quality dilution isn't the only concern. The format proposed for the 48 team competition looks an utter nightmare. By opting for 12 teams of three, FIFA is only guaranteeing qualifiers two games instead of three per team and turning the early knockout portion into a FA Cup style affair. While there will be upsets, just like at the expanded Euro 2016*, but the journey for most will be a touch lamer.

*While six groups of four wasn't perfect, aligned in format with the World Cup's 1986** to 1994 model that expansion at least reflected the greater number of nations in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

**Yes I am aware the 1982 World Cup had six groups of four but the second stage was an unwieldy format involving four groups of three.

The road through a group, culminating in do or die games kicking off at identical times is part of what makes the early part of the competition worth watching. The new format ensures there are no dead rubbers but the competition was hardly awash with them beforehand and even eliminated teams knew they could get a moment in the sun by getting a big result to stop a side progressing.

Instead we are going to get, most likely in the USA, some kind of dull festival where undoubtedly lots of people will watch but quality will be diluted. Earning a qualification spot won't be the same source of stress for those already at the level where it is something they are capable of. That's going to take away from the journey to the top of the pile. The road to the World Cup, to earn your place among the elite, is supposed to mean something. The nations who earn debuts will celebrate but that is nowhere near enough of a reward to take away from the job required to get there.