Gareth Southgate questions ‘integrity’ of 2030 World Cup format

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According to Gareth Southgate, the 2030 World Cup could face problems with fairness because of its unusual format. One of the concerns is that some teams could have an advantage or disadvantage due to playing in different locations. For instance, one group might play against Argentina in South America, while the other two groups play them in Europe. These unequal situations could compromise the integrity of the tournament.

The manager of England has recognized that his team will have a comparable experience in Euro 2020 due to many games being played at Wembley. However, he emphasized that this situation will be distinct and more chaotic than before.

On Wednesday, an announcement was made that the 2030 competition would be hosted in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. The first three games will be held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to honor the 100-year anniversary of the first World Cup in South America in 1930. Afterwards, the event will take place in Europe and north Africa.

It's highly probable that six teams will have to travel across the Atlantic during the tournament, while three teams will have the privilege of playing one game at home.

Southgate expressed his concern about the fairness of the competition. He believes that playing just one match cannot accurately determine the integrity of the tournament. In his opinion, the current format of the competition requires teams from South America to travel long distances, change time zones and then resume the tournament, which is not fair to them. Furthermore, there is unequal home advantage in different parts of the group, which affects the integrity of the competition.

In my opinion, the idea of having different landscapes for different teams in different groups in the upcoming Euros seems quite disjointed. Although we had a similar situation in the previous tournament, it was not something that I particularly enjoyed. Therefore, I must say that I am not a fan of this concept.

Playing against Argentina in Buenos Aires won't be advantageous. It makes sense that if you play against Argentina in Buenos Aires, you'll have to go back again. It's a far cry when you compare playing against them in Buenos Aires and in Casablanca. This change is significant and will influence the competition.