Sport24.az
Do you think yesterday's World Cup draw was extended for no reason? Do you think they decided to fill the ceremony with performances and other show elements to make it more interesting? That could be. But the length of the event suggests another hidden motive...
With this, we were sent a hidden message about what awaits us in the World Cup. For the first time, 48 teams will participate in the final stage of the World Cup. Just as the first half of the draw was a meaningless show, the group stage of the tournament will most likely be uninteresting.
Of course, the World Cup is a big holiday for debutant and mid-tier teams. National teams like Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curacao will enjoy every second of the tournament.
But there will be suffering football fans. For those who say "We are at the World Cup", ordering tickets to WC-2026 is a real holiday. These are completely understandable and natural feelings. But the point is that these are not inherently related to great football. Especially in terms of quality...
No one will condemn Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde, Curacao, and other debutants, no matter how they perform. They don't have serious goals either. They are in the final stage of the World Cup, which is already a great victory in itself! Fans want to see more interesting, more intense games...
Undoubtedly, the upcoming group stage of the World Cup is not about great football. Of course, those who want to enjoy the events on the field will start watching the tournament from the playoffs. It is even possible that some weak team will qualify for the playoffs by winning a ticket from the third place. But from the next round, things will fall into place. Because a stricter filter will be activated there, and there will be no room for coincidences experienced in the qualifying stage. The real World Cup will start then...
