Infantino causes controversy. 64 teams may not be enough for Italy

Gianni Infantino, president of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).The media has again made controversial statementsit was not without direct ridicule and promises of further changes in the structure of the world’s largest tournament.

Ahead of the Mexico-South Africa 2026 World Cup opener, Infantino spoke to Brazilian television channel CazéTV about the future of the tournament, particularly in light of the criticism and controversy that has dogged the organization in North America in recent days. The Swiss-Italian leader did not limit himself to talking only about organizational issues, but, rather, using the platform, dealt a heavy blow to the national team of his native country, Italy, which is absent from the World Cup for the third time in a row.

“We have to see first how this first game, which includes 48 teams, will continue. Obviously, every qualifying round is a big event and we have already considered the possibility of increasing the number of teams to 64 in the future, as this will increase participation and strengthen the global interaction with the tournament.”

Except that The announcement that stole the limelight It was aimed at the Italian national team; After talking about the increased number of places, Infantino mocked Italy’s repeated failure to qualify, saying: “Maybe Italy will qualify if we increase the number of teams to 64, or maybe we increase the number to 208 to see if they can do it then,” he finished with a wry laugh for the cameras.