The 2022 World Cup still has a chance of becoming more crowded. In a press conference today in Moscow, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that he remains open to the possibility of expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams, 4 years ahead of the proposed schedule. Infantino said that soccer’s governing body would “calmly and quietly” decide with Qatar, the 2022 host country, on whether it is something they can pull off.
A proposal to move up the 48-team format to 2022 came from CONMEBOL officials back in April, but no movement was made on that front, most likely due to the focus on this year’s tournament and the process of selecting the host for the 2026 World Cup (which went to the United States, Mexico, and Canada in a combined bid).