The World Cup is going to become a whole lot bigger -- but whether it will be any better is another matter.
As expected, Fifa's proposal to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams from 2026, has been warmly greeted by football federations around the globe, all eager to get their slice of the rich World Cup cake. There are 16 extra places up for grabs and they want to be sure to get their share.
Fifa are eager to point out that under the new proposals, countries that have only been able to dream of a slot in the finals, now have a much better opportunity of participating. Thailand is among the football organisations that have understandably welcomed the news. After all, it is supposed to be a "world" tournament and not just for the footballing elite.
Cynics say it will also give Fifa the opportunity of making a lot more money -- an extra billion pounds by some estimates. But making pots of money has never bothered Fifa.
What we should be concentrating on, however, is how these changes will affect football. Fifa is treading a fine line, and some would say a risky one, of increasing quantity at the expense of quality. Many fans still believe the current 32-team format, in place since 1998, is about right.
The most contentious issue of the new format is the first round group stage, which will feature 16 groups of three teams instead of the current eight groups of four.
For a start, the 16 groups of three has an unbalanced look about it. It also means 16 countries are only going to play two matches at the World Cup, which hardly makes it worthwhile packing their cases.
There will also be the prospect of horribly lopsided game between established nations and those new arrivals. No one who likes football appreciates uneven encounters. Also, from the moment the draw is made, in most first round groups it will be pretty clear which two teams will progress, hardly a recipe for excitement.
Much depends on the details Fifa work out for the first round. One problem under the three-game format, is that when the final match of the first round is being played, one team will be sitting it out and at the mercy of collusion between the two teams in action. There would be a great temptation for "convenient draws".
Older readers will remember the disgraceful match in the 1982 World Cup held in Spain, between West Germany and Austria. Algeria had performed brilliantly in the opening round, beating the Germans 2-1 in one of the World Cup's biggest-ever upsets and then defeating Chile 3-2. Algeria would have become the first African team to reach the second round unless Germany beat Austria 1-0 or 2-0, in which case the two European sides would go through. In that final match, West Germany took the lead in the 10th minute and then for the next 80 minutes the two teams just passed it around the back as if they were in a training session without a single shot from either side. As the Guardian put it, "the game was no longer a contest, it was a conspiracy."
The crowd sensed what was happening and even booed their own teams. The Austrian television commentators was so upset that they asked viewers to switch off their sets. The disgusted German commentator reported "What is happening here is disgraceful and nothing to do with football." The game finished 1-0 and the unfortunate Algerians went home. The only positive thing to emerge from that game was for Fifa to introduce the rule that all the last first round games be played simultaneously.
To overcome this considerable problem, Fifa has suggested resorting to penalty shoot-outs for all drawn matches in the first round, which would prevent such collusion. That could lead to an awful lot of first round games going to a penalty shoot-out, widely regarded as an unsatisfactory way of deciding a game. It would also encourage the lesser teams to "park the bus'' throughout the game in the hope of earning a shoot-out. This is not a recipe for entertaining football.
Is this the way Fifa wants the game to go? Well, maybe it is. Some years ago former Fifa boss Sepp Blatter suggested there should never be any draws in football.
After the first round it will be a straight knockout between the remaining 32 teams which is fair enough and the countries that reach the final will have played the same number of games (seven) as they do under the present format.
There will be huge interest in how the extra 16 places will be allocated amongst the federations. While it is still early days, it is believed that the new allocations will look something like this: Europe 16 (13 at present), Africa 9 (5), Asia 8.5 (4.5), South America 6 (4.5), Concacaf 6.5, Oceania 1 (0.5), host 1 (1).
While these figures are pure conjecture, one anomaly that does stand out is there would be more places for Concacaf nations than South America, which would ruffle a few feathers.
Fan reaction to the new format depends on where you come from. Many Europeans are unhappy with it, believing the standard of football will drop, but the rest of the world are keen to see their teams be given an opportunity.
Fifa's more immediate concern is to ensure the next two editions of the tournament in Russia and Qatar, go smoothly. And that will be no easy task.