Fifa president Gianni Infantino on expanding World Cup to 48 teams: ‘I see no downsides, only upsides’

Fifa president Gianni Infantino outlined the plans to expand the World Cup during the Dubai International Sports Conference on Wednesday. Stringer / AFP

Fifa president Gianni Infantino was a guest speaker at the Dubai International Sports Conference on Wednesday, where he spoke about expanding the World Cup to 48 teams. Here are the details.

Sweeter sixteen

Infantino wants to increase the competition from 32 teams to 48, meaning the finals will consist of 16 groups of three, with the top two countries qualifying for the knockout stages. An extension to the format last took place in 1998, when the tournament rose from 24 teams to its current 32. A decision will be made next month, although any changes would likely not be implemented until the 2026 World Cup.

New Year resolution

Infantino insists he has the support of the majority of the world’s football federations, saying: “Obviously, I’m not a dictator and this is something that needs to be discussed, but when we discussed it with our member associations at the summit [in Singapore this month] they were overwhelmingly in favour. More discussions still have to take place and, in January at the Fifa Council, we will see what we decide.”

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Sustaining the standard

On the possible dilution in overall quality of the tournament, Infantino said: “When you increase the number of teams there’s a potential to have more lower-ranked sides, but if you look at the last World Cup, Italy and England were both eliminated by Costa Rica. When you move into the knockouts, football is one of the only sports where anyone can beat anyone, so a spectacle will always be guaranteed. If we are serious about the development of football, then we have to be more inclusive.”

No extra burden

Infantino maintains an expanded World Cup would be played during the same time frame — 32 days — and that any team making the final would still play seven matches, as is the case now. “I honestly see no downsides, only upsides,” he said. “The only question is how many teams will be allowed from each confederation and that’s a political question that needs to be discussed. There are many upsides to the 48-team format, not least financially, but the decision should not just be financially driven alone, it’s also appealing because the sporting element prevails and every game will be important.”

The long-term effect

“Expanding is also for the development of football all over the world,” Infantino said. “There is nothing bigger in terms of boosting football in a country than participating in a World Cup. For a country that is not always participating, to qualify for a World Cup in November or not makes a big, big difference. If you do qualify for the World Cup, from November to June, the whole country lives and breathes football. Everyone gets interested.”​

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