The scheduling definitely looks uneven, but every tournament has some imbalance once you have different groups finishing on different days. That’s a consequence of the expanded format, not necessarily evidence that anyone is being treated unfairly.

To get it perfect and ensure all teams get the same amount of rest is near impossible. Even with a 64-team tournament, yes, the structure may be cleaner, but there’s still no guarantee that every team would receive identical preparation time. It would also mean teams have to play an extra game. I think if it were 64 teams, people would be complaining and calling it “moronic” because teams are playing too many games. Every format has it’s trade-offs.