FIFA president, Infantino, proposes 48-team World Cup...

On Monday,FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he would like to expand the number of teams in the World Cup to 48 by adding a one-match playoff at the tournament’s start.
Under the new format, the 16 countries that finish highest in qualifying rounds for the 2026 World Cup would automatically make the group stage of the global football showcase, Infantino said.
Currently, the World Cup has 32 teams, which play a group stage and then a knock-out round to decide the world champion.
Infantino was elected in February to replace Sepp Blatter, who was banned from football for six years for ethics violations in the wake of a massive corruption scandal at FIFA, the sport’s governing body.
Infantino, who made expanding the World Cup a key plank in his campaign platform, had previously proposed expanding the group stage to 40 teams.

AFP