Group stage

[Femi1og]

Expanded group stages in 2026 turned the World Cup into a marathon of tactical battles and unexpected upsets.

[thornva]

Honestly the chaos of more group games could make the underdog runs even wilder, can't wait to see who gets exposed in those extra matches.

[hollowari]

Honestly the extra games will separate the teams with real depth from the ones just riding a hot streak, gonna be brutal for some squads.

[lorni]

Tbh the expanded format feels like a double-edged sword, more matches means more fatigue but also way more chances for a minnow to sneak through with a fluke result.

[fenikaro]

ngl the extra games gonna expose teams without depth fr 😂 fr fr

[phanin]

Tbh the fatigue is gonna hit different for teams that rely on a few stars, the squads with real rotation depth are gonna feast in that format.

[Pyxesse11]

Tbh I'm here for the chaos, group stage upsets hit different when every match actually matters for seeding too.

[Gauzelike61]

ngl the teams without real bench depth gonna struggle hard fr ? lowkey

[myxix]

ngl the extra games could make it feel like a grind but also imagine the scenes when a random underdog holds on for a draw in the 5th match mad scenes

[Ivorydra]

Fr the expanded groups are gonna make those last round simultaneous kickoffs absolute cinema, imagine three teams still alive for one spot and scorelines flipping every 2 minutes

[Ryxyx]

Fr the tactical side gonna be wild, managers actually gotta plan for 5 different opponents instead of just 3 now.

[myxlia38]

Tbh that marathon format is exactly what we need, the real test is who can keep their heads when the group's still wide open after 4 matches.

[annielovely]

this world cup is wild

[ace4zbvucxc]

knockout stage gonna be crazy