A recent proposal by the European football body UEFA could shake up international qualifying for tournaments like the World Cup. Switching to the Swiss Format, which has been a success so far in the UEFA Champions League competition for the elite European club teams, could change how international football functions. A new working group will look at proposals to change the length and format of qualifying, in an attempt to make things more exciting and to prevent situations like England’s current run to qualifying for the World Cup without losing a game.
An expanded World Cup tournament
Luckily, any change to the qualifying format won’t change the World Cup itself, which has already been expanded to 48 teams instead of the 32 teams we saw in Qatar 2022. This means more games, more fun, and more chances to enjoy the beautiful game. It’s good news for those playing a World Cup football predictor game, as there are more chances for you to win with your guesses and to climb the leaderboard, whether you are playing for fun with friends or in a workplace leaderboard.
Why does UEFA want to change international qualifying?
There has been some concern within the halls of UEFA that international qualifying has become too boring. The current World Cup qualifiers in Europe lack jeopardy, with teams like England and Spain winning the vast majority of games. England has already qualified before the last round of qualifying games, and most other groups might be over before the final game, though there is still jeopardy in many groups in terms of who will top the groups and who will go into the March play-offs as runners-up.
UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin said:
“I don’t think the European Championship itself will change, but perhaps the qualifiers could be different. There won’t be more matches, but a more interesting format. We’re thinking about that right now.”
Over the last decade, there have already been significant changes to the international calendar with the addition of the Nations League, which pits countries with similar coefficients against each other and provides extra qualifying spots. This has been beneficial, allowing teams like Luxembourg and San Marino to improve standards, and countries like Georgia and North Macedonia to qualify for European Championship finals for the first time
What is the Swiss Format?
The Swiss format has already been implemented in the Champions League by UEFA. Instead of groups of 5 or 6 teams who play each other home and away, there is one large league table with every team present. In the Champions League, this currently means that 36 teams are in a table, playing 8 games against 8 different teams, two from each pot. The idea to change international qualifying to the Swiss format would be that there would be more chances of big games like England v Germany and Spain v France, as these would traditionally be kept apart in the current qualifying format.
Make your own predictions for the World Cup next year
Whatever your thoughts on the proposals to shake up qualifying for the World Cup, the big business is coming up in the USA, Canada, and Mexico next summer. The World Cup is an exciting time, bringing together the best of international football every four years. Qatar 2022 seems so long ago, can Argentina defend its crown, or will the Europeans fight back, led by France, England, and Spain?
If you love football and you think you know what you’re talking about, why not take part in a World Cup football predictor game? Designed as the perfect complement for football chat in the workplace, you can customise a World Cup football predictor with your own branding, get your workforce involved, or even open it up to your customers as a branding exercise. Guess the results and scores, get competitive with the leaderboard and in-tournament perks and gifts, and showcase your football knowledge!
