Two more Fifa officials were arrested in Zurich today, but the real story is…
As if in a bid to make everyone ignore the arrests of Fifa vice-presidents Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout by Swiss authorities acting on the advice of the US Department of Justice, the supreme overlords of world football began discussing the proposal of expanding the World Cup.
The move would see the number of teams competing at the finals increased from 32 to 40 teams, meaning there could be another 32 matches in the group stage and another week added to the tournament. The change would come into force for the 2026 tournament.
Perhaps the most likely way of accommodating the eight extra teams would be having eight groups of five, with the top two qualifying for the round of 16. This would result in the total number of matches played over the tournament to 96.
The proposal is being seen as a sweetener to persuade members to vote through a package containing a plethora of reforms including 12-year term limits for FIFA ExCo members and the president and making senior officials’ salaries public.
