FIFA President Gianni Infantino's "controversial" proposal for a 48-team tournament will "come under the microscope" when the decision makers at football’s governing body discuss the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup this week, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. The FIFA Council, which meets on Thursday and Friday in Zurich, still has to decide on "basic questions such as the size of the tournament and which continents are eligible." A decision was due this week under the timeline drawn up in May but Infantino has "now said that discussions will continue until January." Infantino "promised during his campaign to increase the World Cup to 40 teams, an idea opposed by Europe's biggest clubs." He "went even further last week, however, when he suggested adding another eight teams." French sports paper L’Equipe described the idea as "ridiculous" and Germany Manager Joachim Löw said that it would "dilute the sporting strength of the tournament." Infantino must also "convince the Council that it is a good idea to send teams across the world to possibly play just one game before returning home." It could also be "hard to sell to broadcasters and there is the contentious issue of how to decide which teams get byes" (REUTERS, 10/11).
