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The president of La Liga makes strong statements and warns against “short-term thinking” decisions
Spanish league president Javier Tebas has strongly criticized FIFA’s decision to increase the number of World Cup teams to 48, saying that this move is damaging to the tournament and has a negative impact on the entire football system.
Speaking at the World Football Summit in Mexico City, Tebas said the increase in the number of participating teams “decreases the value of the World Cup” instead of increasing it, noting that the packed fixture schedule has become a burden on local leagues and clubs.
“I see that this decision is very bad. The World Cup is losing some of its value, and that’s not a good thing. We are already suffering from the pressure of appointments, while the football industry is built around a limited number of big clubs and players who are constantly involved in team and club competitions.”
In about a week, the 2026 World Cup will kick off in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 48 teams participating for the first time in history, after the world was used to only 32.
“Decisions are made selfishly.”
The president of La Liga explained that professional football includes tens of thousands of players around the world, but the focus is only on a limited elite, which threatens the balance of the game.
He continued. “The football industry cannot be built solely on bigger tournaments or increasing the number of teams in the World Cup, or even holding the Club World Cup every two years as proposed. These decisions hurt the foundation the game is built on.”
Tebas also stressed that the continued expansion of tournaments does not serve competitiveness in the long term, given that the authorities responsible for these decisions are looking at quick gains without examining the further consequences.
He said: “These decisions are made with a short-term mentality, without real evaluation of the consequences, with great egoism.
Inflation warning
In another context, Tebas addressed the economic state of football, warning about the impact of the huge investments that some wealthy owners are pushing into clubs.
He explained that spending tens of millions on contracted players leads to high inflation in the transfer market and wages, stressing that money that does not come from football activity itself does not represent a healthy economic model for the game.
On the other hand, he praised what he described as “positive inflation”, such as the increase in revenues from television broadcasting rights, which provides additional income for distribution to clubs and contributes to the sustainable development of the sector.
Tebas also reviewed some of his experience at the helm of the Spanish league, noting that when he took over 13 years ago, Spanish clubs were in huge debt to the state and social security institutions, while the league managed to improve the sector’s finances.
He concluded his speech by extolling the commercial potential of Mexican soccer, stressing that the Mexican league has the elements to qualify it as one of the top five or six major leagues in the world in terms of marketing, especially if a centralized system for selling media rights is implemented.
