European countries "will not be able to host the 2026 World Cup" because of FIFA's rotational policy, according to the BBC. It means the previous two host confederations -- Europe in '18 and Asia in '22 -- "are barred from bidding." The '26 tournament "could involve 40 or 48 nations" after FIFA agreed to "study in greater detail the options to expand the tournament from its 32-team format." FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, "The feeling amongst the council is rather positive towards expansion." Critics "have expressed concerns over potentially weakening the quality of football at the finals" (BBC, 10/14). FOX SPORTS' Ryan Rosenblatt reported FIFA's ruling is a "big boost to the United States' potential bid to host the tournament" as it rules out many of its top would-be competitors. FIFA's reasoning for the decision is that it wants to "move the tournament around" and the 2018 World Cup is in Russia (Europe), while the 2022 World Cup is in Qatar (Asia). U.S. Soccer has not committed to bidding for the 2026 World Cup yet. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati has said in the past that the federation "will wait to see the rules and regulations governing the bid process" before it makes any decisions after the 2022 World Cup bid that was "clouded by alleged corruption." But "most everyone expects the U.S. to bid on 2026," and having Europe and Asia out of the way "does clear the path to some degree" (FOX SPORTS, 10/14).
INFANTINO RESPONDS TO LÖW: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Infantino has said that Germany coach Joachim Löw "needs to be more open to helping football's development" after Löw criticized plans to expand the World Cup. The coach of the German national team has criticized Infantino's plans to increase the amount of teams from 32 to 40 or 48 and said that it "would dilute the quality of the tournament." Infantino: "It's easy for the world champions to have an opinion about the World Cup. What can I say to him? That he must be open to renewal, for football, for football development. Not everyone has the chance to qualify for the World Cup every time like Germany do" (REUTERS, 10/14).
