FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday claimed there are "no down sides" to expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and "no taboos" in discussing changes to soccer's flagship competition.
Infantino has proposed increasing the number of teams at the World Cup from the current 32 to 40 or 48 from 2026, and will present five format proposals to members of the FIFA Council when it meets on Jan. 9-10.
The proposals have met with fierce opposition from the European Club Association, which represents Europe's top clubs. The ECA on Thursday called on Infantino to scrap his plans on the grounds that the number of games played each season "has already reached an unacceptable level."
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