In the face of constant derision from both fans and club teams with regards to international friendlies, UEFA proposed the adaptation of a UEFA Nations League to replace friendlies. Essentially, instead of playing one-off exhibition matches, all 55 European nations would be divided into four groups, much like a club league system, using prior results to determine which nations would begin in which groups.
The Bureau of the FIFA Council unveiled their proposal for the allocation of confederation slots for the 48-team 2026 World Cup today, and the recommendation will almost certainly be ratified by the FIFA Council on May 9th in Bahrain.
Here is the slot allocation as compared to the 32-team format:
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has handed Lionel Messi a suspension of four games for his altercation with an assistant referee following Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Chile on Thursday. The ban goes into effect immediately, ruling Messi out of Argentina’s match against Bolivia in La Paz later today.
If everything continues the way it is, the 2018 World Cup will be a 48-team tournament instead of the 32-team format we have now.
Now, how exactly will this expanded world cup tournament work?
Obviously the addition of all of these teams will have to result in reformatting the World Cup process, so the group stage will have 16 groups of three teams each, with the top team moving on from each group. From there on out, the knockout stage will be the same.
Russia 2018 is coming closer after each passing day, and there are a few large countries who absolutely cannot afford to slip if they hope to qualify.
Portugal
The decisive victory against Hungary notwithstanding, Portugal haven't been able to show the form that won them Euro 2016.
The Netherlands
Chile and Argentina will meet for the fifth time in just two years later today, but each encounter has been extremely memorable in its own right. Tonight, with both teams fighting tooth and nail for 2018 World Cup qualification, will be no different. Let’s take a look back at the previous four encounters between La Albiceleste and La Roja.
USMNT manager Bruce Arena has announced his 24-man squad for vital World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama at the end of March. This represented the first opportunity for Arena to include European-based talent, but it’s clear that he’s also given a fair shake to the MLS players that impressed during January camp.
We all spend hours debating and arguing why a particular handball was called or not, especially when it happens in the 18-yard box. Looking at FIFA’s Laws of the Game, the handball rule is written as followed:
FIFA Laws of the Game P. 82: Handling the ball
Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with the hand or arm.
Jerome Valcke, the Dick Cheney to Sepp Blatter's George W. Bush, is appealing against his 10-year ban from footballing activities for various ethics violations.
The Court for Arbitration in Sport will handle Valcke's case, which is hopefully denied because Valcke is about as scummy as they come.
I do not want Jerome Valcke back in this game. He's done enough. Not that the current administration is all sunshine and roses, but FIFA will never get cleaned up if they let people like Valcke back in the picture.