FIFA chief Infantino suggests 48-team World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose election promises included expanding the World Cup finals to 40 countries, on Monday proposed an even larger tournament involving 48 teams. However, he suggested that 16 of those teams would go home after just one knockout match, and the remainder of the tournament would be played, as now, with a 32-team group stage, followed by a knockout phase. Infantino did not make his comments about a 48-team World Cup on camera, but he was quoted as saying: "These are ideas to find the best solution, we will debate them this month and we will decide everything by 2017."