World Cup retains 32 teams, opportunities for Vietnam decrease; Behind Thanh Hoa FC adding a goalkeeper

"Following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process involving all relevant stakeholders, we have concluded that the proposal to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup to 48 is not feasible in the current circumstances," FIFA said in a statement.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed expanding the World Cup to 48 teams, starting in 2022. However, after a meeting on May 22, FIFA agreed that the plan was unrealistic.

The 2022 World Cup will still have 32 teams like the recent editions. Photo:Reuters.

The world football governing body believes that to meet the logistical and political demands of expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, a co-host country from the Gulf region is needed. However, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cannot do this without repairing economic and transport links with Qatar after a two-year severance.

Despite canceling plans to host a 48-team World Cup in Qatar, FIFA is expected to continue pursuing this plan for the next World Cup in 2026. At that time, the biggest football festival on the planet will be co-hosted by three North American countries: the US, Canada and Mexico.

World Cup 2022 retains 32 teams, Vietnam's chances halved

With the decision to keep the number of teams participating in the upcoming 2022 World Cup, the opportunity for the Vietnamese national team to participate in the final round of the biggest football tournament on the planet has been halved compared to the plan to increase to 48 teams.

Compared to the general level of Asia, Vietnam national team is still only at an average level.

If the 2022 World Cup has 48 participating teams, the chance for Vietnam to participate in the final stage of the biggest football tournament on the planet will be higher. Because according to the division of places, Asia will have up to 8 places instead of only 4.5 places as at present.

However, with the number of teams participating in the 2022 World Cup remaining at 32, the opportunity for the Vietnamese national team to participate in the final tournament has significantly decreased.

Simply because, even though Vietnamese football has been assessed to have made remarkable progress compared to itself in recent times, compared to the general level of Asia, the Vietnamese national team is only at an average level.

If we measure the ticket to the quarter-finals of the recent Asian Cup 2019, the achievement of the Vietnam National Team is only in the Top 8, which means it is out of reach of 4.5 World Cup tickets. In fact, many Asian teams such as Korea, Japan, Iran, Australia, Uzbekistan, Iraq... are considered to have a much higher level than the Vietnam National Team.

Behind Thanh Hoa FC's addition of a "goalkeeper"

Besides parting with the main sponsor and saying goodbye to many key players, this season, Thanh Hoa FC also encountered certain difficulties in goal.

Vinh Loi will return to Thanh Hoa in the second leg.

Tran Buu Ngoc is considered the most senior goalkeeper of Thanh Hoa but has also conceded 9 goals and is currently suffering from a head injury.

Having no other choice, coach Duc Thang put all his trust in Luong Ba Son. The 26-year-old goalkeeper left his mark with some commendable saves. However, he often lacked concentration and often conceded goals in the second half of the match.

That is the reason why Thanh Hoa lost points against Sanna.KH, Hai Phong or almost lost the victory against Quang Nam.

All three goalkeepers of Thanh Hoa have their own weaknesses. And that is the reason why the Thanh team decided to try out a new but… old goalkeeper. That is To Vinh Loi, the goalkeeper who was a star in Thanh Hoa from 2012 to 2015.

Man United unexpectedly asked to borrow Kevin Strootman

The Red Devils have reportedly made an offer to sign Marseille midfielder Kevin Strootman on loan.

The Dutch midfielder was a target pursued by the Old Trafford team many years ago.

The Dutch midfielder was a target for the Old Trafford team many years ago. However, injuries and poor form have made him no longer a target for MU.

After several disappointing seasons at Roma, Strootman decided to join Marseille in the summer transfer window last year. And this was an extremely wise decision as he became a key figure for the French club in the 2018/19 season.

However, according to Sky Sports, Marseille are now in need of "cost-cutting" this summer and United have seized the opportunity to sign the experienced midfielder for the 2019/20 season.

In addition to the Red Devils, two other English teams, Everton and West Ham, have also expressed interest in Strootman, who was a promising young talent playing for Dutch clubs such as Sparta Rotterdam, FC Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven.