Gary Lineker has hailed the 2022 World Cup group stage as the "greatest in history," while criticising FIFA for their plans to change the tournament's format in four years' time.
Qatar has played host to a wealth of drama over the past fortnight, with shock results like Saudi Arabia beating Argentina and surprise exits such as Germany 's already making this edition of the World Cup memorable for events on the pitch. But the 32-team format that football fans know and love, which includes eight groups made up of four nations, is about to be scrapped by FIFA.
In 2026, when football's most prestigious tournament is held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, we're currently on course to see a massive 16 groups of only three nations as FIFA expand the tournament to 48 teams. Many supporters aren't happy with the proposals, including Lineker, who voiced his concerns following Friday's final round of engrossing games before the knockout stages.
