FIFA President Gianni Infantino drew criticism in Italy after joking that the national team might qualify if the World Cup expanded to 64 teams.
Infantino made the remark in an interview with Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV while discussing possible future World Cup expansion.
“Maybe Italy will qualify for a World Cup with 64 teams, or we could even go up to 228 teams,” Infantino said. FIFA currently has 211 member associations.
The comment referred to Italy’s failure to qualify for recent World Cups. Italy, a four-time champion, last appeared at the tournament in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Italian news agency ANSA said Sports Minister Andrea Abodi was irritated by the remark. Abodi said he wanted to discuss the matter directly with Infantino.
Read: Infantino Says Iran Will Play at World Cup as Scheduled
Abodi said a phone call would be the best option because of the distance between Italy and Mexico. He said he wanted to hear Infantino’s thoughts, according to ANSA.
FIFA expanded the 2026 FIFA World Cup to 48 teams. A 64-team proposal for the 2030 FIFA World Cup has been discussed, but FIFA has not approved that format.
