Editing FIFA World Cup (section)

=== Expansion to 48 teams ===
In October 2013, Sepp Blatter spoke of guaranteeing the [[Caribbean Football Union]]'s region a position in the World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |last=Whittaker |first=James |title=Caribbean pro league can work |url=http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/10/23/Caribbean-pro-league-can-work/ |publisher=CompassCayman.com|access-date=28 October 2013 |location=Cayman Islands |date=23 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200646/http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/10/23/Caribbean-pro-league-can-work/|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the edition of 25 October 2013 of the ''FIFA Weekly'' Blatter wrote that: "From a purely sporting perspective, I would like to see globalisation finally taken seriously, and the African and Asian national associations accorded the status they deserve at the FIFA World Cup. It cannot be that the European and South American confederations lay claim to the majority of the berths at the World Cup."<ref>{{cite web |last=Blatter |first=Sepp |title=A level playing field for Africa! |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm//Document/AF-Magazine/FIFAWeekly/02/20/44/47/TheFIFAWeekly1_EN_Neutral.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204231/http://www.fifa.com/mm//Document/AF-Magazine/FIFAWeekly/02/20/44/47/TheFIFAWeekly1_EN_Neutral.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 October 2013 |publisher=FIFA Weekly|access-date=28 October 2013 |page=29 |date=25 October 2013}}</ref> Those two remarks suggested to commentators that Blatter could be putting himself forward for re-election to the FIFA Presidency.<ref>{{cite web |last=Morley |first=Gary |title=Sepp Blatter calls for more African nations at World Cup finals |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/25/sport/football/sepp-blatter-fifa-africa-football/index.html |publisher=CNN|access-date=28 October 2013 |date=25 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026184524/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/25/sport/football/sepp-blatter-fifa-africa-football/index.html|archive-date=26 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the magazine's publication, Blatter's would-be opponent for the FIFA Presidency, [[UEFA]] President [[Michel Platini]], responded that he intended to extend the World Cup to 40 national associations, increasing the number of participants by eight. Platini said that he would allocate an additional berth to UEFA, two each to the [[Asian Football Confederation]] and the [[Confederation of African Football]], two shared between [[CONCACAF]] and [[CONMEBOL]], and a guaranteed place for the [[Oceania Football Confederation]].<ref name="times-28-oct-2013">{{cite news |last=Dickinson |first=Matt |title=Michel Platini sets out his plan for the new world order |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/africa-travel/south-africa/michel-platini-sets-out-his-plan-for-the-new-world-order-jbqwlf3787t |newspaper=The Times|access-date=28 October 2013 |date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028060920/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/international/article3906279.ece |archive-date=28 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Platini was clear about why he wanted to expand the World Cup. He said: "[The World Cup is] not based on the quality of the teams because you don't have the best 32 at the World Cup&nbsp;... but it's a good compromise.&nbsp;... It's a political matter so why not have more Africans? The competition is to bring all the people of all the world. If you don't give the possibility to participate, they don't improve."<ref name="times-28-oct-2013" />

In October 2016, FIFA president [[Gianni Infantino]] stated his support for a 48-team World Cup in 2026.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/03/world-cup-expand-48-teams-fifa-gianni-infantino-suggests World Cup could expand to 48 teams, Fifa's Gianni Infantino suggests] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004005336/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/03/world-cup-expand-48-teams-fifa-gianni-infantino-suggests |date=4 October 2016 }} – The Guardian, 3 October 2016</ref> On 10 January 2017, FIFA confirmed the 2026 World Cup will have 48 finalist teams.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-beschliesst-fussball-wm-mit-48-mannschaften-a-1129295.html |title=Ab 2026: 48 Teams – Fifa vergrößert die WM |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=10 January 2017 |publisher=SPIEGEL ONLINE |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110124409/http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-beschliesst-fussball-wm-mit-48-mannschaften-a-1129295.html |archive-date=10 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>