Oh, and this whole annoying tournament could basically be over in 3 days. This whole group stage thing is a sham, you pretty much know for sure 7 out of the 8 teams that make it. You could just invite the top eight, play quarterfinals day one, semi finals day two and finals on day 3 and the whole WC could be over in a long weekend.
It's pretty much what it is right now, with a month of fluff added in before.
I'd like to see the top 16 teams invited, in four groups. They play each other once (each team has 3 games). Top two make it out (so eight total), and then QF, SF, and Finals.
Yes, still 8 teams make it out but having only three matches means a single upset could be huge, so every single game matters. Here you could lose a couple and it's not a big deal. That way, most of the top eight would make it but there is a realistic chance of upsets and minnows. And since it's only three games per group stage, the one sided stage is generally over fast.
Shorter tournament, more upsets, every game matters (even big vs minnow) and more teams have a chance to play in the biggest scene....