Fifa aim to hasten expanded World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the majority of football federations around the world are in support of his plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams ahead of the next tournament in Qatar in 2022.

Fifa voted last year to add an extra 16 teams to the traditional 32-nation format, with a plan to introduce the expanded tournament at the 2026 World Cup. But that plan could now be brought forward to Qatar.

The proposal is complicated by Qatar’s strained relations with neighbouring countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar would almost certainly need help from other nearby nations in order to host a 48-team tournament.

“We gathered the opinions as well of our members, the federations,” Infantino said. “Whether it is feasible or not is