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.
It meets Infantino’s election pledge of a bigger World Cup, and should help fund promised raises for FIFA’s 211 members.
With 80 matches instead of 64, FIFA forecasts $1billion extra income from broadcasting and sponsor deals, plus ticket sales, compared to $5.5bn forecast for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
FIFA’s six continents should find out by May how many extra places they will get.
UEFA wants 16 European teams in the tournament, which will likely be held in North America.
More to follow …
