“With 64 teams, perhaps Italy would qualify. Maybe we should reach 228…”. A few words are enough for Gianni Infantino to spark the debate during the opening night of the World Cup. A joke uttered live on television with a smile on his lips, but inevitably destined to cause discussion, because it touches one of the most exposed nerves of Italian football: the absence of the national team from the World Cup. The FIFA president spoke about it on the sidelines of the match that officially opens the tournament in Mexico City, won by the hosts against South Africa. Interviewed by the Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV, Infantino addresses the topic of the expansion of the World Cup and the possible future evolutions of the format.
The joke about the format and the reference to the Azzurri
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The FIFA number one starts from the recently inaugurated edition, the first in history with 48 participating national teams. “Let’s see how this World Cup with 48 teams will work. It’s a huge tournament,” he explains. He then broadens the discussion to the hypotheses that have animated the debate within the international federation in recent years. “We also talked about 64 teams to involve the world of football even more. The proposal was discussed in the Council, but now let’s enjoy this first edition.” At that point comes the lunge. “Maybe with 64 teams Italy would qualify. We could get to 228 to see if we can.” Infantino accompanies the sentence with a laugh, but the reference is obvious.
The idea of the 64 teams remains in the background
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Beyond the joke, the topic of expanding the tournament continues to be a subject of discussion. The hypothesis of a 64-team World Cup had been put forward by Conmebol in view of the 2030 World Cup, the centenary edition which will be organized by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with some celebratory matches in South America. The aim was to further increase the representation of emerging federations and involve even more countries. A project that would have brought the tournament to 128 games in total. FIFA considered the proposal, but ultimately chose not to proceed. Among the main critical issues that emerged were the organizational difficulties, the doubts of various confederations – in particular UEFA – and the fear of excessively diluting the competitive level of the event. For the moment, therefore, world football is focused on the new 48-team formula. But judging by Infantino’s words, the debate on the future of the tournament is far from over.