La Gazzetta dello Sport has criticized the expanded 48-team World Cup format for negatively impacting competitive balance and overall quality. The Italian newspaper wrote that 'with the expansion of the tournament to 48 nations, some matchups have become noticeably unbalanced. Bigger is not always better.' In the allocation of participating teams by confederation, 'Europe has come out disadvantaged.'
Gazzetta emphasized the criticism is independent of Italy's own absence, stating 'the Italian national team had a duty to qualify and be here.' However, the publication concludes that 'the competition's XXL size increases the number of modest teams and lowers the overall quality of play.'
The newspaper also highlighted the commercial structure of the tournament, noting that hydration breaks have been 'exposed for what they are: a way to split matches into four quarters and allow for lucrative advertising slots for broadcasters,' prioritizing broadcast revenue over coaching and player support.