48-Team Qatar World Cup Possible Only If Doha Agrees, Says Official

Any move by FIFA to expand the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from 32 to 48 teams would require the approval of the host nation, a senior tournament official has said.

Nasser al-Khater, a leading organiser of the Qatar World Cup, said preparations were still based on a 32-team competition and stressed that no expansion would be imposed without Qatar’s agreement.

“No decision will be made without the agreement of Qatar,” he said. “It will be a joint decision.”

Khater said organisers were waiting for the outcome of a FIFA feasibility study examining whether the tournament could accommodate an additional 16 teams.

FIFA was expected to announce a final decision after completing the study.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had earlier said that a majority of national football associations supported expanding the tournament to 48 teams.

However, increasing the number of participants would create significant logistical challenges.

The Qatar World Cup was scheduled to be played over 28 days in November and December 2022, a shorter period than the traditional 32-day format.

With organisers indicating that the tournament duration could not easily be extended, one possibility was to stage some matches in neighbouring countries.

That option, however, was complicated by the diplomatic dispute involving Qatar and several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Qatar had faced political and economic isolation from some of its neighbours since June 2017.

The 2022 tournament was set to be the first World Cup staged in the Middle East.

A 48-team format had already been approved for the 2026 World Cup, which was scheduled to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.