FIFA boss hints at World Cup expansion talks, defends hydration breaks

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signaled that the organization will consider expanding the World Cup finals even further, potentially increasing the number of participating teams to 64. These discussions are slated to take place after the conclusion of the current tournament. The 2026 edition, hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, marks the first time the finals will feature 48 teams, a significant increase from the previous 32-team format.

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I think it is important that when you want to organise a World Cup, you do it for the whole world, not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.

Infantino, who was instrumental in the expansion to 48 teams, defended the decision by emphasizing inclusivity and global participation. "Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup," he stated, arguing that the quality of teams worldwide is improving. He believes that offering smaller countries a chance to compete provides them with the incentive to develop their football programs. Infantino highlighted the success of the expanded format, noting that teams from all continents have scored goals and earned points, with a notable increase in African teams reaching the knockout stages.

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Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world.

Beyond expansion, Infantino addressed other controversies surrounding the tournament, including the introduction of hydration breaks. He acknowledged that these breaks have sparked debate, likening them to cooling breaks used in previous tournaments during hot weather. Infantino suggested that the breaks were implemented to ensure consistent conditions for all teams, despite some viewing them as a tactic to increase advertising revenue for broadcasters.

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If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving.

Furthermore, Infantino defended the high ticket prices, pointing to the near-full stadiums as evidence of strong demand and successful event management. He stated that stadium capacity utilization is at 99.7 percent and expected to reach 99.9 percent, indicating the overall popularity and success of the event from a commercial standpoint.

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This is a topic that sparks a lot of debate. After all, we don't want to get everything perfect; we like to give everyone something to disagree with … no, joking aside. Last year, during the Club World Cup in the USA, there were cooling breaks whenever it was very hot.