I wonder who came up with this stupid phrase "round of 16" to describe the first knockout round in the Euros and World Cup? Logically, the round before the quarter finals is the eighth finals.
I wonder who came up with this stupid phrase "round of 16" to describe the first knockout round in the Euros and World Cup? Logically, the round before the quarter finals is the eighth finals.
I think this is the first tournament to start with 24 teams, so maybe it is just because they had to have a name
to give the round after the group stage ??
Originally the Euro's had just 4 teams in the final competition !! (17 entered)
No, Nara, you cant't blame UEFA, because "round of 16" is not used in other languages:
French - huitieme de finale
German - Achtes Finale
Dutch - achtste finale
all of which mean eighth finals.
Albob, the 2016 Euros also had 24 teams and the World Cup has had 16 teams qualifying for the knockout stage since 1986.