June 29, 2000: Patrick Kluivert misses a PK against Italy, hitting the left upright.
June 29, 2026: Justin Kluivert misses a PK against Morocco, hitting the left upright.
The easiest way to fix the 48-team World Cup format:
Group winners go straight to the Round of 16.
Second-placed teams play third-placed teams in a playoff round for the remaining spots.
That way, winning your group actually means something, and the format still keeps the drama.
It really isn’t that complicated.
If you think the World Cup Final should be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that’s fine. To each their own. But this should have been the home of the final or at the very least a semifinal game.