The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held with 32 teams and will not be expanded to 48, the International Football Association (FIFA) said on Wednesday. and Qatar's organizing committee was satisfied with the decision of the World Federation Fifa
in fact, highly controversial Desert World Cup 2022 has already shaken up the football properly. How exactly host Qatar was able to acquire the tournament, is still unclear, the corruption suspicion remains massive. In view of the numerous negative headlines,
FIFA said in a statement that due to current circumstances, the proposal adopted by FIFA President Gianni Infantino would not be possible, given the need for a thorough study will not be ready when the FIFA Congress is held on the fifth of June
The statement added that Qatar would therefore not be invited to host a 48-member World Cup or be joined by other countries
With the decision, the 2026 World Cup, co-organized by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will be the first with 48 teams. The first stage will consist of 16 teams with three teams in each, and two teams from each group qualify for the second round
The British Times newspaper confirmed earlier that FIFA had abandoned plans to increase the participants in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams, and decided to retain the current formula with the participation of 32 teams
She noted that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has retreated from his enthusiastic stance to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup after he is convinced that the plan is difficult to implement
The Times quoted a source from FIFA as saying that the retreat from the plan to increase the number of teams came because of logistical and political challenges related to the subject
FIFA found it difficult to market the idea of raising the number of teams under the siege imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, which was nominated by the study of the International Federation to receive matches, as well as Kuwait and Oman
The 28-day World Cup will be a shorter period compared to the previous rounds due to its November-December opening. The number of teams would mean up to six matches a day in the group stage, with 48 hours between matches The teams, which prompted the International Federation of Professional Players to protest and reject the expansion plan