So we find ourselves after a magnificent tournament. But while things were happening on the hallowed grounds of the Maracana, things were happening. Some of which could threaten to change things for the future of the tournament.
The next big international will be the Copa America in 2015 held in Chile, which will be followed by Euro 2016 in France. There will be several participants from this World Cup who will be quietly confident, and rightly so.
Chile and Colombia are both coming of a strong tournament in Brazil and World Champions Germany will be looking to do a ‘Spain’ in France and become double Champions, while a fully resurgent France will no doubt be looking for revenge on home soil. Much can and no doubt will change in that time given the Euros still have not had their qualifying started yet.
But all this is by the by. What I was inferring to is a deeper change in the international game and it’s various tournaments. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups are already brimming with controversy. While it was unimaginable even 6 months ago these tournaments are definitely at risk.
The travails of Qatar and their various issues are well documented but I very much so doubt that FIFA will take the tournament from them. That being said will the tournament be held in winter or summer is a fairly significant question. Playing football in the 40 degrees is not really a spectacle for the TV viewing audience. Even with frequent water breaks and air conditioned stadiums, I am skeptical about the feasibility of this.
A winter World Cup on the other hand could be something quite special. Yes we know the club’s wouldn’t like it but wouldn’t it be nice if in just one World Cup we had the best players in the world not be tired from a long exhausting season? Once we get a taste of such a World Cup would we not crave another like it? These are not questions with easy answers and it brings to heart the eternal conflict of club vs country which has dominated football politics since the dawn of the game itself.
If the Qatar looks safe then events in the last 24 hours make the 2018 World Cup in Russia more precarious. War could spell the end of this tournament. If NATO countries boycott Russia 2018 this would leave a sizable portion of UEFA and CONCACAF out of the tournament and maybe several countries more.
How FIFA reacts to the following could have consequences far outside the realm of football to consider. But as a the great Terry Pratchett once said “Football is never just about football”. Let’s hope somewhere along the line we get a 40 team tournament by 2026.
NineSixFourTwo 