![[The Editors' Verdict] Expansion of World Cup Finalists to 48 Countries, FIFA's Commercial Tactics](https://cphoto.asiae.co.kr/listimglink/1/2022120211140138196_1669947240.jpeg)
[Asia Economy Park Byung-hee, Head of Culture and Sports Department] The World Cup, held every four years, makes us feel the great power of soccer. Anyone from South Korea would have felt an indescribable thrilling joy at 15 minutes and 6 seconds into the second half when Cho Gue-sung scored the equalizer in the second group stage match against Ghana in the Qatar World Cup last month on the 28th.
However, the shallow commercial tactics of the international football federation (FIFA), which organizes this joyful festival, always cause frowns.
From the next tournament, the 2026 World Cup, the number of teams qualifying for the finals will increase from the current 32 to 48. The 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups of 3 teams each, and the top 2 teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage starting from the round of 32. Compared to now, the number of group stage matches per team will decrease from 3 to 2, but the teams advancing from the group stage will play one more knockout match. Thus, the total number of matches per team remains the same as now. Therefore, although the number of qualified teams increases, FIFA claims that the tournament schedule can be maintained at one month as it is now, and there is no need to worry about increased injury risks for players due to a tight schedule.
Instead, the total number of matches will increase from the current 64 to 80. To keep the tournament schedule at one month as it is now, more stadiums will be needed.
This is one of the reasons why the 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted for the first time in history by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The reason FIFA is increasing the number of World Cup finalists is money. The revenue from broadcasting rights is expected to increase proportionally with the increased number of qualified teams.
In particular, FIFA is targeting Chinese and Middle Eastern capital. The love for soccer in China and the Middle East is special. Professional soccer teams in China and the Middle East sometimes spend astronomical amounts to recruit famous European soccer players. A typical example is the news that Cristiano Ronaldo, who parted ways with Manchester United ahead of the World Cup, received an annual offer of 173 million pounds (about 272.1 billion KRW) from Al Nassr Club in Saudi Arabia. Chinese President Xi Jinping is such a soccer enthusiast that when he met Sohn Hak-kyu, then leader of the Democratic Party, in Beijing in 2011, he said, "My three wishes are for China to participate in the World Cup, host the World Cup, and win the World Cup."
China has yet to step onto the World Cup finals stage even once. If the expansion of the number of finalists leads to China's qualification as FIFA intends, FIFA is expected to sit on a huge pile of money.
Despite various controversies such as exploitation of foreign workers and human rights issues, Qatar was able to host the World Cup for the first time in the Middle East, and there are rumors that this was because FIFA succumbed to Middle Eastern oil money.
Perhaps soccer, which is sometimes dismissed as "just a ball game," has a mysterious charm that can even stop wars.
It was Christmas in 1914, when World War I broke out. On that day, British and German soldiers on the front lines, who had been shooting at each other until the day before, laid down their guns, played soccer together, and sang carols in an unofficial truce. A British daily newspaper even featured a photo of British and German soldiers mingling together on its front page at the time.
Some call such soccer a great sport. FIFA should also have the dignity befitting that.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
