BEIJING (AP) Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid speculation that China could be planning to bid for a future World Cup.
Xi and Infantino met Wednesday at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China’s legislature in the heart of Beijing.
The meeting comes as indications are growing that China could bid to host the World Cup either in 2030 or 2034 under a plan launched by Xi’s administration to obtain international soccer success.
Along with a massive expansion in the numbers of academies, fields and coaches, Xi’s drive aims to turn China’s perpetually underperforming team into a World Cup winner by 2050.