The 48-Team World Cup Verdict: Canada's Rise, Upsets, and a Format That Worked
From Canada crushing Qatar 6-0 to Scotland topping a group, the expanded tournament produced more football — and more genuine stories.
When FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 teams across the United States, Canada and Mexico, critics predicted a bloated group stage of mismatches. The tournament's group phase delivered the opposite: more stories, more upsets, and several federations announcing themselves on the biggest stage.
The breakout nations
Canada were the revelation — a 6-0 demolition of Qatar signaled a program come of age in front of home crowds. Mexico topped their group with wins over South Africa and South Korea. The United States thrashed Paraguay 4-1 on the way through. Scotland, perennial hard-luck story, topped a group. Germany reminded everyone of their ceiling with a 7-1 dismantling of Curaçao, and France's 3-1 win over Senegal featured a Mbappé double.
Did the format work?
Twelve groups of four, with top two plus the eight best third-place teams advancing, kept nearly every final group match alive — the dead rubber largely disappeared. The Round of 32 added a genuine knockout day that smaller nations could target. Travel across three host countries drew grumbles, but stadium atmospheres, particularly for CONCACAF sides, were the best in memory.
With Argentina and Spain contesting Sunday's final, the expanded World Cup ends with its credibility enhanced — bigger, and somehow, better.
