Euros format

[#FreeBTS]

I have been really enjoying this tournament but it is getting to that point where I have to squint a bit due to this horrific format. And tbf I don’t even think it’s as bad this time, I’m still against it but last time 2 teams qualified with 3 points (and what’s worse, they knew they were fine sticking with that). Gives far too much advantage to teams playing later in the groups, very easy to see a situation where Portugal know anything bar a 3+ goal defeat keeps them in the competition. Yesterday should have been an amazing story of Wales battling to stay in the competition and succeeding, and it just felt a bit flat despite the brilliant achievement. Plus now due to this format, they get supremely lucky with only having to play another runner up rather than a group winner. And this isn’t even getting to using 71% of the games to reduce the competition by 33%. I’m assuming most people thought the 16 team Euros was perfection but tbf it did make it a bit of a closed shop, I’m assuming fans of smaller nations prefer how it’s been extended? Not that there’s any chance of them going back now.

Anyway just wondering what people think should happen in the future, is there anyway we’re not heading towards a 32 team tournament? Does anyone prefer this current format? I’d prefer 4 groups of 6 but that doesn’t go far enough in my opinion and makes it a very bloated group stage.

[#FreeBTS]

Lot of good points in this article as well www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jun/19/having-24-teams-is-unwieldy-but-euro-2020-is-a-step-up-in-quality-on-france

[Paul]

Based on what UEFA are doing with their club tournaments I’d expect 32 or 30 at least with 6 groups of 5 with a similar progression system as now. But then again I can’t accurately predict anything UEFA do, they’ll probably expand it to 48.

Should do away with qualifiers and just have a 55 team tournament every four years with all of UEFA’s teams. No groups just straight knockouts. Previous winner hosts and gets a bye in the first round of games.

[Gobble Gobble]

The increase from 16 to 24 is just bad due to this weird third place progression and the potential lack of jeopardy (although there is more in this years competition than there might have been).

However, having now gone to 24, I’d rather it was 32 teams just to get it back to the top two going through. Though that might reduce the quality in the groups to make it more of a formality who goes through.

[#FreeBTS]

I think the horse has well and truly bolted with the quality argument personally, now that North Macedonia and Finland are in there is it really much of a downgrade to have Serbia, Norway, Romania, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Greece, Iceland and Bosnia in there? (just the next 8 teams in the rankings not to qualify)

You’ll still inevitably get shocks in a 3 game group stage where 50% of teams go out, that’s massively preferable for me.

[Бенне]

It’d ruin qualifying more than the Tournament if you go to 32, as the chance of a big name like Italy/Netherlands/us missing out if they have a bad run, but who really cares about qualifying? This current format is dreadful and I’d be all for 32 teams over it.

[Olivier]

If you think this is bad you are going to lose your fucking mind at the 2026 World Cup.

[The Quito Diet]

I'd have to see the prospective groups for a 32 team tournament because to me there's a risk that you just end up turning the group stage into a glorified qualification as they are now where there's no real jeopardy for the big teams and they just pump minnows half the time.

[notpropaganda]

I like more teams I just think the format is shite, like I think if this tournament was in normal times and hosted in a single country rather than the nonsense city hosts we have, it'd be magic seeing the likes of North Macedonian fans invade somewhere and build an atmosphere, it's the best part of tournament football for me.

I think 24 is a tough number to try and bring in to a decent format though to be honest, and I think the horse has bolted in terms of a 16 team Euros so you're likely to see a 32 team one, depending how that monster World Cup goes. Would you take the extra 8 teams via the Nations League to give minnows more of a chance to get through? If you added the four losing playoff finalists from the NL you'd have: Northern Ireland, Iceland, Georgia and Serbia. Then the next four from: Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Norway, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, Belarus and Kosovo. It just means you'd be less likely to get a group with Portugal, France and Germany in there which has easily been the best group so far.

Any 24 team tournament involves that "best third place team" or "worst second place team" type stuff and I hate that as it compares situations between groups and allows groups that are kicking off on later days an advantage.

[#FreeBTS]

Jun 21, 2021 12:23:59 GMT Olivier said:

If you think this is bad you are going to lose your fucking mind at the 2026 World Cup.

That’s a better format though, not that I’m a fan of that either but the groups of 3 with 2 going through are better than groups of 4 with 3 going through.