Qatar is smaller than Connecticut and has fewer citizens than Kansas. Asking the Arabian nation to host a 32-team World Cup was pushing the limits. Sending an additional 16 squads — plus their supporters and delegations — and adding 16 matches seems out of the question.
But in another twist to the odd selection of Qatar to host the 2022 tournament, FIFA is looking into enlarging the number of competitors by 50 percent — four years before expansion was scheduled to begin.
Before the latest revelation, Qatari organizers had expressed unwavering confidence in staging soccer’s quadrennial party.