You don't have to be a soccer fan to notice the World Cup has been going on since last month, with fans descending on US cities for plenty of dancing, singing, drinking, eating and some sports, too. The videos of tourists appreciating American culture has been pretty fun to watch. Apparently ranch dressing is a delicacy we've been taking for granted. Who knew?
But there's another aspect of this year's World Cup that you might be able to emulate in your fantasy football league, and you have plenty of time to implement it before draft day.
If the World Cup seems like a bigger deal this year, it's because the field is literally bigger and more of the world is involved: The group stage now features 48 teams (up from 32), 32 teams advancing (up from 16) and is 10 days longer than it was in 2022. Purists were wary of letting more teams into the tournament and thought it might water down the competition. But the games have been entertaining, more countries are cheering on their teams and we've seen a number of countries reach the knockout round for the first time. Cape Verde tied global powerhouse Spain 0-0, and while that looks boring to our stats-driven eyes, it helped them become the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for the knockout stages. Then they gave defending champion Argentina all they could handle in a 3-2 loss, captivated the world, and were greeted in their tiny nation as heroes. I personally met people from Cape Verde who came to the United States just for the World Cup, and you could see the pride in their eyes when discussing the tournament.
The point is, adding teams and a knockout round hasn’t taken anything away, and added plenty of excitement for the participants. So why are so many fantasy managers still insisting on only four playoff spots in a 12-team league? Why are they starting the playoffs in week 14 when there are still teams on the bye and the regular season goes through week 18? You could add a couple of playoff teams and/or add a week to the regular season and not really lose anything.
The NFL doesn't seem to have a problem expanding the playoff system or the regular season. So why would we? The NHL has half of their teams make the playoffs, and it's no less exciting as a result. Expanding the playoff bracket makes the regular season races more exciting, keeps more managers engaged late in the year and leads to inevitable upsets. Those outcomes can be healthy for a league that depends on manager enthusiasm to stay vital.
If everyone is happy with the way it is then leave it alone, of course. But July is the right time to bring it up and have league discussions about expanding the playoffs or extending the regular season. A casual survey of social media videos shows obscure countries going bonkers because their team is advancing in, or just playing in, the World Cup. Why can't a couple extra fantasy managers enjoy some of that enthusiasm as well?
I feel like July is too early for serious player evaluation, but it's just the right time to look at your league and see how you can improve it for the upcoming season. I'm watching the results unfold on television with soccer's biggest tournament, and the results have been positive. They aren't suffering at all. Instead of feeling watered down, teams are rising to the occasion and igniting interest around the world. Maybe you can do something similar with your league.
How many playoff spots does your league have? Would you consider expanding the playoff pool or the regular season? Share your thoughts below.
