FIFA will today decide if the 2022 World Cup team-format in Qatar will be expanded to 48 or it will remain at the 32- team format experienced at the last tournament in Russia.
Aside from the above, the FIFA Council meeting in Miami will also decide on revamping the Club World Cup into a quadrennial 24-team summer tournament and creating a “Global Nations League,” following on from the success of the European version.
FIFA has already increased the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by US, Canada, and Mexico to a 48-team format. But Giani Infantino, FIFA President, wants the 2022 event increased to 48, on the premise that they already expanded the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, they should look at doing the same in Qatar.
However, there is a serious constraint to increasing the event to 48 teams. FIFA’s feasibility study says it’s logistically impossible to stage a 48-team tournament in Qatar without making it longer, something that has already been ruled out.
In the absence of increasing the tournament duration, increasing the number of teams can only be feasible if Qatar is prepared to co-host with neighbors. However, a snag here is that Qatar relationships with a number of nearby countries, most notably Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates is abysmally at its lowest ebb.
These countries have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, which it has denied vehemently.
However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad is unable to enter the United States for the FIFA Council meetings in Miami because of visa problems.
The 59-year-old is a vice-president of world football’s governing body by virtue of his position with CAF.
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