--- title: Gianni Infantino: FIFA Approves World Cup Team 2026 Plans description: FIFA, the international governing body of the soccer world, has approved plans to increase the number of World Cup teams from 32 to 48. canonical: https://time.com/4629939/fifa-world-cup-teams-48-2016/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-10T10:42:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:35:43.396Z article:section: Sports og:title: FIFA Approves Plan to Increase Number of World Cup Teams og:description: Expected to benefit smaller, soccer-mad nations in Africa and Asia og:url: https://time.com/4629939/fifa-world-cup-teams-48-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1357aed61ff626c/6988b4e65f570f9ce4b23b52/gettyimages-631329278.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The Best FIFA Football Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: FIFA Approves Plan to Increase Number of World Cup Teams twitter:description: Expected to benefit smaller, soccer-mad nations in Africa and Asia twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1357aed61ff626c/6988b4e65f570f9ce4b23b52/gettyimages-631329278.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # From 2026, the FIFA World Cup Will Have 48 Teams > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jan 10, 2017 10:42 AM UTC  FIFA president Gianni Infantino arrives for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan. 9, 2017. FIFA president Gianni Infantino arrives for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan. 9, 2017.Philipp Schmidli—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jan 10, 2017 10:42 AM UTC [FIFA](http://time.com/3910054/fifa-scandal-sepp-blatter/), the international governing body of the soccer world, has approved plans to increase the number of [World Cup teams](http://time.com/4508050/fifa-anti-racism-task-force/) from 32 to 48 within a decade. The news was announced via Twitter, with FIFA’s media account writing: “The FIFA Council unanimously decided on a 48-team #WorldCup as of 2026: 16 groups of 3 teams. Details to follow after the meeting.” The council, sitting in Zurich, had been asked to vote on four proposals laid out by FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino. According to [_The Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jan/10/fifa-vote-expand-world-cup-48-teams-from-2026), Infantino’s preferred option for change was for “a 2026 competition featuring the 16 groups, followed by a 32-team knock-out, increasing the number of games from 64 to 80 but remaining inside a 32-day schedule.” Infantino says his main motivation for expanding the tournament is to give more nations a chance of experiencing the “joy” of a World Cup. The move is expected to benefit African and Asian nations such as China, which has [plans to become a “soccer superpower” by mid-century](http://time.com/4290251/china-soccer-superpower-2050-football-fifa-world-cup/). “We have to be more inclusive,” Infantino [told a sports conference](http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38449674) in Dubai last December. “If we can have a format that does not add any additional matches but brings so much joy to those who don’t have the chance to participate then we will have to think about that.” > [](https://twitter.com/fifamedia/status/818753191449948160) The make-up of the World Cup tournament has remained the same since 1998 and news of the shakeup has received mix responses on social media. “Now we’ll have more 6-0 \[and\] 7-0 matches in the first round. What a joke,” wrote one Twitter user. “RIP World Cup football. Might be wise to remember this saying: ‘If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it’. #fifa = joke,” remarked another. 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