“Today, money talks,” Carlos Queiroz said. “In the game, money talks. This is called not football but Moneyball.”
The Ghana coach was talking about the 48-team World Cup, and he was not happy with it. Speaking after Ghana lost 2-1 to Croatia on Saturday, the Portuguese said the bigger field risks turning the tournament into a “vulgar, ordinary competition.”
The defeat still sent his team through. Ghana finished third in its group, which would have meant going home under the old format, but they took one of the eight best third-place spots. Nine of Africa’s 10 teams are in the knockout stage.
Queiroz, a former Portugal and Real Madrid manager, did not soften his view because of that. “I do believe that what really has huge value, huge and significant value, is [that which] is rare,” he said. “I’ve never seen in my life common things, ordinary things that come with huge value.”
He also argued that the money behind the expansion changes how the game is played. “When money starts to talk, the decisions inside the pitch start to change. Let’s see in the future what will happen.”
Qualifying has lost something too, he said. “So, even the qualification matches in Europe, in Africa, they start to lose significance and meaning, because everybody’s qualified.” He raised player welfare as well, with the extra games in mind.
He was careful to call it a personal view. “It’s, in my opinion, still debatable. I need to see. It’s one opinion that is based on my personal feeling.”
Newcomers in the knockouts
The format puts 32 teams into the knockout stage instead of 16. Seven countries got out of their groups for the first time: South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Cape Verde, Congo DR and co-host Canada.
Cape Verde, population 525,000, finished second in its group ahead of Saudi Arabia and two-time winners Uruguay. It plays defending champions Argentina in the round of 32. Ghana meets Colombia in that round on July 4, and the winner could face Switzerland or Algeria next.
Sources
Sources
- Ghana Coach Slams World Cup Expansion Despite African Record
- Ghana's Coach Carlos Queiroz Slams Expanded 2026… | Naija News
