How would the draw of an expanded world cup to 48 teams and 3 hosts look like?
Simulate it, several times if needed and come to your own conclusion of how exciting or boring it could be :-)
Football tournament simulator allows you to build your own fantasy tournament format by selecting from various parameters
1. Number of teams
2. Tournament format
3. Number of groups
4. Number of groups in the 2nd stage (if the format supports it) and their structure.
5. The first Knock out phase in the tournament
Could preselect a format from a previous year of the cup or from the one decided for the 2026 one.
Uses the confederation limits which were in place/proposed for each of the specific tournament templates selected. If you don’t like these limits you could turn them off, in which case the teams will be chosen based on a global world ranking.
Don’t like any of the previous year templates, then build your own exciting tournament. The model will correct you and give you suggestions/explainations during configuration if the combination of parameters you are choosing defies the math :-)
The model uses the current rankings of the teams (i.e. day after the 2022 Qatar edition) in determining the teams that qualify and the draw. Also uses these as probability when deciding on the results of a game.
Supports various tournament formats that occurred previously between 1930-2022
1. Groups followed by knock out stages, the one you have got used to and thought thats the only one used, if you are not old enough :-)
2. Groups followed by a 2nd stage of groups and then a much more reduced knock out stage. This is my particular favourite. Partially too because thats the way it was when I started following.
3. Only knockouts. Ah! Something used almost a century ago, has a certain bit of excitement to it.
4. Group followed by a Finals group, no knockouts. Winner is winner of the finals group.
5. Finals Group. This one has not actually been used but added as other tournaments have used this
Have even thrown in some options which have never been used in any world cup tournament E.g.
* 64 teams
* Various number of round 1 groups
* A Round of 64 as the first knock out phase
* Finals group format
Happy Tournament building!!