On Thursday, FIFA increased its efforts to host the biennial Men’s World Cup every two years and won the support of fans from all over the world in response to resistance from Europe and South America. The latest public relations strategy comes in the form of an online poll commissioned by FIFA.
However, the European soccer body UEFA and South American counterpart CONMEBOL oppose FIFA’s plan and have threatened to boycott additional World Cups. Europe and South America combine for 65 of the 211 FIFA members but it's fewer than the one-third total likely needed to block any proposal.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes that holding more matches in most of the 211 member states will increase odds and enthusiasm. Expanding the World Cup from 32 teams in the 2026 North American World Cup to 48 teams is one of the most important early decisions during Infantino's presidency.