FIFA President mocks Italy when considering possible expansion of the World Cup

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, commented on the possible expansion of the World Cup in the coming years before the official opening of the 2026 edition. The Swiss-Italian also took the opportunity to mock Italy, outside of the second World Cup in a row.

In an interview with CazéTV at the entrance to the Azteca Stadium, Infantino was asked about the debate on increasing the World Cup to 64 teams. It is worth remembering that the 2026 edition is the first with 48 teams.

"First we have to see how this first World Cup with 48 teams will work. It's clear that everyone who qualified is a very big event. We even discussed 64 teams and, therefore, you don't have more matches, it ends up being the same as with 48, but more teams participate and there is more involvement from around the world", he declared.

The FIFA president concluded by saying that the issue was raised in the FIFA Council and will be debated, but, first, they will enjoy the 2026 World Cup and understand how it will work with 48 teams.

A further increase in the number of qualified teams could help, for example, Italy to return to the World Cup. The four-time world champions were left out for the second edition in a row, and Infantino joked about the issue.

"Let's see if Italy qualifies with 64 teams, or maybe I have to put 208 to see if it qualifies (laughs)", he concluded.

2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams and will also be played in three different countries: Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The official opening takes place this Thursday (11), at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City, with the duel between Mexico and South Africa.

The tournament will run until July 19th, when the grand final will be played in New York/New Jersey, in the United States.

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Source: CNN