FIFA Council unanimously approves World Cup expansion to 48 teams

The FIFA Council has rubber-stamped plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026 onwards, adding 16 extra nations. FIFA president Gianni Infantino's revamp plan received unanimous backing at a meeting in Zurich on Tuesday. Delegates were asked to vote on four proposals to change the existing format or stick with the current format of 32 teams. This is the first time since the 1998 World Cup that changes have been made to the make-up of the tournament, with the 2026 competition set to feature 16 groups of three. Infantino's preferred option for change was for a 2026 competition featuring 16 groups of three, followed by a 32-team knockout, increasing the number of games from 64 to 80 but remaining inside a 32-day schedule.
Infantino has also suggested that penalty shootouts be brought in to settle the results of all drawn games, thereby minimising the risk of teams colluding in their final group games to eliminate others from the tournament. The Swiss has repeatedly said his main motivation for expansion is to give more nations a chance of experiencing the joy of a World Cup, which will bolster international football in developed markets and help its growth in new ones.
With 80 matches instead of 64, FIFA forecasts $1 billion extra income from broadcasting and sponsor deals, plus ticket sales, compared to $5.5bn forecast for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The African and Asian nations are expecting significant increases on their current allocation of four spots apiece, while UEFA wants 16 European teams in the tournament.