Fifa’s Infantino claims 48-team World Cup will boost football worldwide

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has robustly defended the decision to expand the World Cup from 32 competing national teams to 48, which will begin with the 2026 tournament, in the face of immediate criticism from top European clubs. At a meeting in Zurich, Fifa’s rule-making council unanimously passed the new format, which will create a first round of 16 groups, from which two of three teams will qualify and proceed to a knockout competition beginning with 32 countries.

Fifa has projected that the increase to 48 countries will generate around $1bn more income, and $640m profit, from greater television rights and sponsorship. Infantino said the money will be reinvested in football; he has promised all Fifa’s 211 member countries’ associations $5m a year to aid development.

Speaking after the meeting, Infantino argued that the expanded tournament will increase interest in football worldwide by involving more countries, while not burdening players with more matches.

Responding robustly to criticism from the German football association (DFB) and European Club Association (ECA), which derided Fifa’s decision as having been taken for “political reasons rather than sporting ones,” Infantino said: “We are in the 21st century, and we should shape the World Cup for the 21st century. Football is more than Europe and South America; football is global.”

Fifa’s football associations, particularly in Africa and Asia, have historically been in favour of the tournament’s expansion, which Infantino said will give them all more places in the finals. Precise numbers are yet to be decided, as are some of the format’s details, including whether drawn first-round group matches could all be decided on penalties. The host for the 2026 tournament is due to be considered in 2020, with a bid featuring the US, either on its own or in conjunction with one or both of Canada and Mexico, the overwhelming favourite.

Arguing that qualification for the World Cup provides a key boost to football development in smaller countries, Infantino pointed to the advances of Iceland, Wales and Hungary in last year’s European Championship as examples of “beautiful stories”. European football’s governing body, Uefa, decided in 2008 to expand its tournament from 16 countries to 24, and Europe’s representatives on Fifa’s council supported the World Cup increase, despite the opposition from leading clubs.

In a statement the ECA, which has 220 member clubs in 53 European countries, said that the 32 team format is “a perfect formula” and suggested that Infantino had in mind electoral support from Fifa’s member associations, which each vote for for the president. Questioning the “urgency” with which so historic a decision was taken, less than a year since Infantino was elected, the ECA said “stakeholders” who will be “impacted” had not been properly involved.

“We understand that this decision has been taken based on political reasons rather than sporting ones and under considerable political pressure, something ECA believes is regrettable,” the statement said.

Infantino declined to respond to reports immediately after Fifa’s announcement that the Spanish football league, La Liga, which claimed it was not consulted at all, is considering a lawsuit. Last week the DFB president, Reinhard Grindel, expressed “immense reservations” about the proposed expansion, arguing that allowing 16 more countries to qualify would reduce the quality of the football.

Referring to his election last February on a proposal to expand the World Cup to 40 teams, Infantino said the prime objection from European clubs had been to increasing the number of matches played, and the tournament’s length. He said Fifa administrators had since examined four different formats and found that the 48-team expansion could address those concerns.

The immediate move to a 32-team knockout competition after the two matches played by each country in the first round of 16 groups, means the finalists will have played seven games, the same as in the current format. The tournament can still be played over 32 days, as it is now. Infantino pointed out that Uefa’s expansion lengthened the European Championship by a week, and incorporated one more match for the finalists.

Arguing that the quality of football is improving around the world, and pointing to the elimination of both England and Italy by Costa Rica in the last World Cup in 2014, Infantino said: “Increasing the size of teams which can participate will increase the investment in football development, to make sure that the teams can qualify.”

The FA’s chief executive, Martin Glenn, had said his preference was “to keep the tournament smaller,” but he acknowledged that “smaller countries understandably want to be part of the tournament.” The English representative on the Fifa council, David Gill, did not attend the meeting because of a previously arranged visit to Australia, but given the strength of support for the expansion, he had been expected to vote in favour.

In a statement after the decision, the FA said: “We will work with Uefa, Fifa and the other European associations to understand how the 48-team Fifa World Cup will work. The priority has to be consideration of the potential impact on fans, players, teams and leagues, and also recognition of the importance of sporting integrity and commercial viability.”