Before this 48-team World Cup began, the prophets of football apocalypse had already painted the picture. The tournament was going to be buried under an avalanche of exotic, unknown teams and, in their opinion, completely unsuitable for the biggest stage of football. Haiti, Curacao, Panama, Uzbekistan - these were the names uttered with a mixture of contempt and panic. They were supposed to be proof that FIFA, in its pursuit of money and new markets, was turning the World Cup into a kind of planetary festival with balls and colorful shirts.
