The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come and gone but the attention now turns to club soccer, as MLS resumes in full and Europe’s top leagues prepare to kick off in just over a month’s time. In the meantime, the transfer window is now entering its key phase around Europe, as teams need to complete their rosters ahead of the upcoming season. I’m Francesco Porzio with the latest.
Wednesday, July 22
🌎 Copa Sudamericana: Medellin vs. Vasco da Gama, 6 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports
🇺🇸 USL: Lexington vs. Oakland Roots, 7 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
🇺🇸 MLS: Inter Miami CF vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ ATV
🇺🇸 MLS: Columbus Crew vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ ATV
🇺🇸 MLS: Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ ATV
🇺🇸 USL: Colorado Springs vs. Miami FC, 9 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, Golazo Network
🇺🇸 MLS: LA Galaxy vs. St. Louis City SC, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ ATV
⚽ The Forward Line
🏆 What to make of a 64-team World Cup format
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The 2026 World Cup was the first edition to feature the expanded 48-team format, replacing the traditional 32-team tournament. However, reports have already emerged suggesting that FIFA could further increase the field to 64 teams for the 2030 World Cup, marking the centenary of the inaugural tournament. The 2030 edition will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, while the opening matches will also be staged in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in tribute to the competition’s origins. CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez says plans are already underway for the expansion to 64 teams. Our own Pardeep Cattry reflected on the likely new format:
- Cattry: “The new format still had its unfortunate but predictable flaws, naturally. The math of figuring out which third-place teams would advance was not only headache-inducing but also counterproductive at times. South Korea and Scotland spent days at their respective base camps, stuck in purgatory as they waited for other results that would eventually knock them out of the tournament. A few of those group stage finales got awfully close to being dead-rubber without being so – Australia’s tepid 0-0 draw with Paraguay definitely flirted with the idea of being known as the “Disgrace of Santa Clara,” while the round of 32 sometimes felt like the extension of the group stage rather than the true start of the knockouts. Several soccer executives with questionable taste (and selfish motivations) will argue the solution is to expand the World Cup to 64 teams to solve that particular conundrum and are already trying to make that a reality for 2030. There is no reverting back to the 32-team World Cup, next summer’s women’s edition in Brazil essentially a farewell to a perfect format. Whether or not the 64-team plan comes to fruition, there’s a certain amount of judgment to be reserved for the 48-team edition since the sample size is small. The magic of a World Cup, though, is that it can be undeniably entertaining in any format, which has been the main takeaway of the summer.”
What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.
3️⃣ Attacking Third: The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back, and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long.
⚽ Call it What You Want: Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies, and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the game in the United States as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup. Catch new episodes live on the Golazo America YouTube channel.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
