The UEFA yesterday put an article on their website claiming a bureau did research that should that also playing a world cup in an olympic summer games year would be bad for the reputation of football as it would make them look bad for wanting to draw attention away from other sports.
Obviously no word about their expanded nations league plans though.
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Originally Posted by SirFozzie
I think one major reason for the expansion of the Nations League is blocking FIFA's plans for an every two year world cup. If so, then if they bring on CONCACAF (41) along with UEFA (55) and CONEMBOL (10) they can block a two year WC (AFC/Africa have about 100 votes combined) from ever being approved (instead of having to threaten to boycott)
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A 24-team Nations League between UEFA, CONMEBOL and rogueing USA and Mexico added in, that just sounds like playing the world cup in the style of 1986-1994 and essentially not just blocking the FIFA idea, but actually stealing it.
The support of the entire CONCACAF seems doubtful to me. Why would the other 39 CONCACAF federations support this if Mexico and the USA go rogue on them? There won't be room for throwing in all 41 CONCACAF teams, unless they make a regional Nations League for the B through D levels as well and throw in the South American teams in there.
On a global scale, for roughly 100-125 federations, having more world cups with more teams increases their already slim odds to ever make it to a world cup from like 1% to 2%. The only way those can side with the FIFA on new plans is if they're told to get more money, because trying to catch up with the top50 nations in the world is something they will never achieve. FIFA will promise that, regardless of what the research UEFA claims to have done.
The expansion to 48 teams at the world cup 2026 mostly helps the second tier African nations, the second tier of North America and the top tier of Asia. It's a better insurance to have the USA, Mexico, Australia, South Korea and Japan to qualify, but China is still too far behind to double up on their 2002 qualification. It won't give better odds to have Russia, Italy, England, Germany, France, Spain and Turkey to qualify at all. Just throwing out some names of what sound like being the biggest markets.
All that said, the UEFA Nations League isn't really appealing to anybody but the teams crowds, even at the A level. Matches of Poland vs Wales, Czechia vs Switzerland, does that appeal foreigners? Or in an expanded format does something like Belgium vs Uruguay, Colombia vs Denmark, Mexico vs Croatia or Nigeria vs Austria appeal to the general public? I doubt it.