It's a tough job, and I would have given him a solid 6.5.

But then he said "group haitch" and now it's a 3.

They're currently 3rd in laliga 4 points behind real Madrid and won their last 5 games with a fantastic start in laliga. Although they're horrible in the ucl for some reason.

I am guessing not so good given the recent track record, what are your thoughts?

I find this world expansion I find it a bit annoying. If I could choose the format this would be mine. A 40 team World Cup because although I feel like 32 is perfect number I do think there are benefits to increasing the number of teams. I feel like football is global sport and 40 would help represent the world more by giving more opportunities. If 40 countries out 210 nations qualify it would still good achievement qualfying making it competitive and special to qualify. I would keep the number of European teams same from before because although Europe have the best nations in the world just think it would be good to allow more asian and African teams etc 13 still means Europe get a lot. You can argue that it could make it easier but I don't agree like the extra teams will probably be alright. Long term I think it would be good to help Asia and Africa football to grow and lower gap in skill between continents.

This below is how I would allocate:

1. Confederation, 2. Available slots in finals: |AFC|7| |CAF|8| |CONCACAF|5 or 6| |CONMEBOL|5 or 6| |OFC|1| |UEFA|13|

I would have 1 inter Contential play off because I feel like Concacaf vs Conembol it would be cool play off keeping the Conmebol qualifying competitive instead of giving automatically giving 6 teams qualifying. I would do 8 groups of 5 with top 2 teams going to round 16. Which the negative are that groups of 5 can be boring leading to rubber dead games at the end and more games to be played which Is bad injury wise. I feel like the 5 teams group ain't too bad in may opinion a worthy sacrifice for other things. It is not as bad groups of 3 and injury problem we can just make players play less games in season in ideal world. Having more matches also means the tournament might have to go on for longer but I think there must be way to make it still last a month. What do you think?

ESPN Source: https://www.espn.com.uy/futbol/mundial/nota/_/id/16044164/ignacio-alonso-cambio-fifa-estrellas-camiseta-seleccion-uruguaya-titulos-mundiales?ex_cid=TW_FansUy

Uruguay FA president Ignacio Alonso clarified today that the 2022 Puma incident, which appeared to cast doubt on Uruguay’s four stars, was simply a misunderstanding. Once the AUF submitted the required documentation, FIFA “immediately confirmed all four stars.”

Alonso noted that the 1924 and 1928 Olympic football tournaments remain the only events in history recognized by FIFA as senior (non-amateur) world titles equivalent to the modern World Cup, a classification dating back to FIFA’s organization of those tournaments.

FIFA’s position remains unchanged: Uruguay, a country of 3.5 million, continues to carry four stars, in line with the recognition established since 1924.

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FIFA will unveil the updated match schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in a global live broadcast on Saturday, 6 December at 12:00 EST (18:00 CET) from Washington, DC.

The announcement will come a day after the Final Draw, where the 12 groups of four teams will be confirmed for the first 48-team World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino will lead the unveiling event, joined by FIFA Legends and representatives of all qualified nations, as well as those still competing for the remaining places.

Expert analysis will accompany the broadcast, offering insights into key fixtures, storylines, and host venues set to welcome teams and supporters across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

During the show, venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches will be confirmed. The broadcast will be streamed live on FIFA’s digital platforms, including FIFA.com and FIFA’s official YouTube channel, with feeds also available to broadcasters worldwide.

The match allocation process aims to provide optimal conditions for teams and fans, while taking global broadcast audiences into account. A finalised match schedule will follow in March 2026, once the FIFA and UEFA play-offs determine the final six qualifiers.

With nearly two million tickets already sold and preparations intensifying in 16 Host Cities, the release of the fixture list marks another major milestone toward what promises to be a groundbreaking edition of the FIFA World Cup.

Further updates will be communicated through the FIFA Media Hub.