48-team Qatar event on table

THE Qatar World Cup in 2022 is not only pressing ahead, but expansion to 48 teams remains a possibility.

Decisive talks will take place this week, which could determine whether the controversial rise from 32 teams will be brought forward four years.

Such a radical move may require the inclusion of a co-host, but the political climate in the Middle East leaves that a long-shot right now — with the impasse continuing since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE cut ties with Qatar a year ago.

It’s understood that FIFA chiefs — including president Gianni Infantino who’s championed the 48-team World Cup and oversaw Euro 2016’s expansion from 16 to 24 teams — have been buoyed by developments at Russia 2018.

Italy, Holland, Chile and the United States all missed out, while in a tournament of upsets, Russia has perhaps given the pro-48 team camp most cause for optimism.

Entering the World Cup as the lowest-ranked of the 32 contestants (No. 70) and written off by its home fans, Russia produced a string of stunning results — headlined by a round-of-16 win over Spain — to reach the quarterfinals, with only a penalty shoot-out loss to Croatia thwarting a fairytale semi-final berth.

News Corp Australia was still awaiting response from FIFA, but Qatar 2022 organisers are open to expansion, saying that they can hold a 48-team event themselves, despite having just eight stadiums (Russia 2018 and Brazil 2014 each had 12).

“Yes, it’s doable, we just need to figure out how it is done,” said Nasser Al Khater, the assistant secretary general for (Qatar 2022) organisers Tournament Affairs. “A 48team World Cup might add an exciting new element.”

An expansion would dilute qualifying, but FIFA chiefs say it could turbo-charge the main event and help fast-track developing nations.