I hold a neutral slightly opposed stance on expanding to 48 teams, with clear pros and cons

Reasons for opposition (core shortcomings)

1. Decreased entertainment value in the group stage: qualification rate rises from 50% to 67%, strong teams can still advance as third place after losing 1-2 matches, leading to many "resting" matches, a significant reduction in high-stakes matchups, and almost no "death groups."

2. More matches with large disparities in strength: new weaker teams such as Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Jordan frequently appear, resulting in frequent blowout matches, and a lack of suspense.

3. Increased schedule burden: champions need to play 8 matches (up from 7), extending the tournament to 39 days, with long-distance flights across the Americas and Canada, Mexico, and the United States, doubling player injuries and physical stress, making top teams rotate main players more easily, reducing match quality.

4. Lengthy tournament: total matches increase from 64 to 104, leading to viewer fatigue and a decline in the value of underdog surprises.