Round of 32

In Doha in December 2022, after Morocco beat Portugal to become the first Arab and African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, a supporter made his way to a BBC camera outside the stadium and said four words that captured something…

The first ever round of 32 in a world cup has started brightly. We are a quarter of our way towards the round of sixteen. When FIFA introduced the round of 32, it was considered to have opened the door towards more one-sided knock-out ties.…

As the clock ticked down on Saudi Arabia’s 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in Houston last Friday, the online backlash was already in full swing. Prince Abdul Rahman bin Musaid, a former Al-Hilal president with 6.7 million followers on X, did not…

The longest group stage in World Cup history has reached its conclusion, and the full round-of-32 line-up is now set. The 48-team tournament has been trimmed to 32, with the knockout bracket locked and a host of mouth-watering ties in…

The biggest tournament in football history starts on June 11. It will look nothing like the one you grew up watching. For nearly three decades, the World Cup followed a familiar shape. Thirty-two teams, eight groups, a clean run to the…