FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to expand the World Cup faces a key test at a meeting of world soccer’s top executives.

    Infantino wants to expand the tournament to 48 teams, a contentious move that critics say would dilute the quality of World Cup competition and add new fixtures to soccer’s already packed calendar.

    The powerful 36-member FIFA Council was scheduled to weigh the idea at the meeting later yesterday and today but a final decision will not be made until next year, Infantino said.

    “It is not a secret that I believe in an expansion of the World Cup,” Infantino told reporters last week, opting for a 48-team competition by 2026.

    Infantino has floated a proposal that would see the 16 winners of group qualifying rounds automatically book a place in the showcase tournament.

    An additional 32 teams would battle it out in a new pre-tournament play-in round, with 16 nations moving on to the World Cup, Infantino said.

    (SD-Agencies)