The round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup got under way under its new expanded format amid an atmosphere charged with sporting controversy, after Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, technical director of the Ghana national team, detonated a time bomb with statements in which he asserted that the tournament "loses much of its value" with 48 teams, describing the system conceived by FIFA president Gianni Infantino as one that strips the World Cup of its historic lustre.
These scathing criticisms found immediate and widespread resonance in the world's leading newspapers, which devoted extensive space to analysing the opening of the first knockout round in its current form, shining a light on the professional tension between the quality of the game and marketing revenues.
In this context, the Brazilian press led a technical assault on the tournament. In a report, Globo Esporte wrote: "The introduction of the round of 32 has not given the World Cup extra excitement; rather, it has turned the first round into a prolonged and technically tepid warm-up phase. By opening the doors to teams that lack the quality to compete at a stage of this magnitude, traditional fan passion has become a victim of FIFA's electoral courtesies."
This view was reinforced in the Italian press, which focused on player fatigue. La Gazzetta dello Sport commented: "The launch of the round of 32 in its current form clearly reflects the triumph of the language of money over player welfare. The game's stars are forced to play in rapid succession after gruelling European seasons, turning the World Cup from the pinnacle of footballing creativity into a commercial machine that consumes players' bodies with no regard whatsoever for their physical condition."
The French press was no less sharp in its dissection of the situation. L'Équipe published an analysis stating: "The new system has dismantled the strict elite standards that have distinguished the World Cup since 1998. Instead of the round of 32 being an arena for great tactical battles, it has become a marketing festival devoid of dramatic plot, after the complex calculations for qualifying the best third-placed teams undermined the sporting value of the knockout matches."
In Spain, media focused on the absence of competitive fairness. Marca wrote: "Queiroz's statements hold a mirror of truth up to FIFA. The advancement of teams to the round of 32 despite suffering defeats in the group stage represents a tactical distortion that strikes at the heart of competitive fairness, and confirms that appeasing continental confederations and increasing broadcast revenues has loaded the tournament with an overdose of dull matches."
The British press, meanwhile, noted the long-term impact on the identity of the game. The Daily Mail commented: "What we are seeing today in the round of 32 is a true embodiment of the 'money football' that Queiroz criticised. The World Cup no longer represents a reward for the best after gruelling qualifying campaigns; it has become a sprawling, bloated event that loses its essential quality — scarcity — and this threatens to kill spontaneous fan passion in favour of sponsor advertisements and exclusive broadcasting rights." These press excerpts confirm that the launch of the knockout round under its new system is now facing fierce opposition that does not view the tournament as an organisational success, but rather as an attempt to place financial investment above the authentic footballing legacy.