Argentina star criticises 2026 World Cup format: “I don’t like it” | OneFootball

After the vibrant draw for the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine National Team already knows who they will face in the group stage and can draw conclusions for a round of sixteen bracket. Algeria, Austria, and Jordan - in that order - will be the rivals of the Albiceleste, who could then face Uruguay or Spain in their first knockout match.

The new format of the most important football tournament has sparked discussions: more teams, more groups, and more matches for the champion. One of those who didn't stay silent and shared his opinion was Nicolás Tagliafico, who expressed his disagreement with the format of the next World Cup.

On a Twitch channel, in conversation with the streamer DavooXeneize, the left-back stated that having to play an additional stage on the way to the final "feels long" and emphasized that "mentally it is very tough" for the players.

What Tagliafico said about the 2026 World Cup format

“I don't like it. The two World Cups I played, the first one (Russia 2018) not so much because we reached the round of 16, but the one in Qatar felt long. Think about it, in Doha we were at the university, we had our fields there, each match trip was 15 minutes and everything was very close. However, it felt extremely long,” explained the 33-year-old footballer.

And he added: “Now you have at least five or six more days if you reach the final. Having a round of sixteen, for the team that manages to reach the end, mentally it is very tough. I understand it's a bit more of a show, more opportunities, but in the end, it's very tough. It's almost a month and a half. It feels long.”

“What it also creates is that there isn't a group where you say: ‘Uh, someone important or someone with history might be left out’. They are a bit more even, but it feels long,” he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.