Following the conclusion of the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Technical Study Group (TSG) members Pablo Zabaleta, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Gilberto Silva and Otto Addo, together with FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler and Tom Gardner of FIFA Football Performance Insights, gave their first collective assessment of the expanded tournament in a press conference.

Silvino's former assistant at the Albanian national team, Zabaleta, said concerns about an increase in one-sided matches had been unfounded.

"You can see how those favourite teams have had a bit of difficulty in the group stages and that shows you that, these days, you don't have easy games. You have to perform well, you have to do well to win games. Now you see the players, they're not going badly and they're not wasting time because they know they have to go out and just wait, and leave the team with 10 men, maybe for a minute. So the goalkeepers move quickly, when they catch the ball, and they're not wasting time, again, on the pitch, if not, they'll concede a corner kick. The new rules, I think, improve the dynamics of the game," concluded Zabaleta.