FIFA set to approve expansion of World Cup to 48 countries

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino is optimistic that his ruling council will on Tuesday, agree to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 nations, playing in 16 groups of three teams.

A decision could be delayed if some council members have reservations about how many qualifying places each continent will have.

The current 32-team format has been used since 1998 and will be used for the next two World Cups in Russia and Qatar.

Infantino claims the prize of 16 extra places, with the biggest increases to Africa and Asia, has “overwhelming” support from FIFA’s 211 member federations.
“Financially, the 48-team format is the most appealing or successful simply because the sporting element is prevailing and every match is important,” he said two weeks ago.
“The decision should not be financially driven, neither in terms of revenue or costs … but the driver should really be the development of football and boosting football all over the world”, he added.