Recently, Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta stated in an interview that the number of teams participating in the World Cup should be limited to 32.
Batistuta expressed his firm belief that only elite teams and players should participate in the World Cup, and called on FIFA not to damage the quality of this most prestigious football tournament.
Batistuta said: "The World Cup is the biggest stage for players, and the audience deserves to see the best games. Mediocrity has no place in this competition."
"Initially, I wasn't interested in the idea of expanding the World Cup to 48 teams. I thought it would become boring. However, it turned out differently. Apart from two or three matches, there were many interesting games, and some very exciting matches in the knockout stage. Nevertheless, I still think the World Cup should only have 32 teams. Because this is the World Cup, only the best teams should participate. That's my opinion."
“Every spot in the competition should be earned through talent and hard work. If we over-expand the field, we risk seeing teams and players who are not at the highest level, which would damage the reputation of the tournament.”
"Fans want to see exciting matches, full of passion and high-quality performances. This can only be achieved by ensuring that every participant is at their best."
Previously, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the possibility of expanding the World Cup to 64 teams would be "reviewed and discussed in the relevant committee." One of Infantino's arguments for supporting expansion was: "If smaller countries are not given the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, they will lose the motivation to continue improving."
