NEW YORK, July 19 — Expanding the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams was a success, according to an analysis from the International Association Football Federation's (FIFA) technical study group.
The German Press Agency (dpa) reported that former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said fears that the expanded tournament would turn into a disaster for some smaller teams did not materialise, adding that the tournament's quality was "very high".
Speaking at a media conference ahead of Sunday's FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina, he also noted that the gap between big and small nations is narrowing.
Wenger cited underdogs Cape Verde as an example, which reached the round of 32 in their World Cup debut and lost to Argentina only after extra time.
The technical study group, which includes former Germany coach Jürgen Klinsmann, has conducted a detailed analysis of the World Cup matches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
He said the collected data showed that some rule changes have proven effective. Many goal kicks were taken more quickly, and the number of medical interventions declined.
Before the tournament, referees had been instructed to prevent such delays or to penalise them in cases of doubt.
The group calculated that the number of long-range goals doubled compared to the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.
“We saw that many teams defended deep and were difficult to break through,” Klinsmann explained.
He said he could imagine that many teams would “copy this deep defensive block” in the future, even at the club level.
Another finding was that goalkeepers stepped away from the goal line more often to punch the ball away.
Former Switzerland goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler said this was partly because they were better protected.
Wenger added that the potential effects of the much-discussed hydration breaks would be analysed in detail again after the tournament.
He acknowledged that the break was not met with universal approval. However, Wenger felt that they did not have a significant impact on the results.
