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Killing The Golden Goose dept. Fifa president Gianni Infantino has already ensured the 2026 World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams. He’s now thinking about getting Qatar to bring that change forward to 2022. But Russia 2018 boss Alexey Sorokin has sounded a note of warning.
It’s important to remember what the country has bid for and planned for.
To change that is not a minor decision that can be made in five minutes. There is a domino effect of going from 32 teams to 48.
It’s more base camps, more flights, it has multiple secondary effects. It will take a lot of specific planning, involving thousands of people. So for now no decision has been taken. It’s been discussed but not agreed.
It’s important to listen to Qatar to find out if their infrastructure is up to it, because they applied for and prepared for 32 teams.
So it’s not about them discussing this with their neighbours, it’s an important decision and it should be between them and Fifa.
It’s only a couple of hours until England play the final match of their 2018 adventure. Can they get the better of brilliant Belgium, and post their second-best finish at a World Cup in 68 years of trying? Can Harry Kane seal the deal for the Golden Boot? Or will Belgium’s golden generation record their best World Cup finish ever, besting their famous 1986 fourth-place finishers, Ceulemans, Scifo, Pfaff, Claesen, all that? Dominic Fifield previews the big game (yes it is, don’t listen to the grumblers, there’s no love in their hearts).
Related: England prepared for one last push to claim third place against Belgium | Dominic Fifield
Written by Scott Murray (now) and Richard Parkin (earlier)
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2018/jul/14/world-cup-2018-final-buildup-as-england-battle-belgium-for-bronze under the title “World Cup 2018: News and buildup before England battle Belgium for bronze – live!”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
