FIFA May Expand the World Cup to 48 Teams by 2022

A kinesiology major at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, Andrew Khoury also serves as a setup manager for the Charleston Battery. Moreover, Andrew Khoury considers himself to be an avid fan of international soccer.

Depending on a March 2019 decision from FIFA, the 2022 World Cup may increase the number of teams participating in the tournament from 32 to 48. While the increase is already confirmed for 2026’s World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the expansion is a possibility for the 2022 contest to be held in Qatar.

One of the biggest challenges for expanding as early as 2022 is space. Approximately 11 times smaller than the state of New York, Qatar may have to share some of the new games with neighboring countries.

Although the expansion ultimately means more soccer for fans to enjoy and more teams getting a shot at glory, some people are less than thrilled about the change. Criticizing the move for making the tournament “too straightforward,” England’s national team manager Gareth Southgate worries that the expansion will sap the excitement from the earlier qualifying matches.

South American Teams Surge in Weeks Leading Up to World Cup

A resident of South Carolina, Andrew Khoury majors in kinesiology at Charleston Southern University. A longtime fan of international soccer, Andrew Khoury works as field and stadium setup manager with the Charleston Battery, a United Soccer League team. 

With the 2018 FIFA World Cup approaching, national teams were busy preparing their players for competition and getting in last minute matches against international squads. 

Colombia recently played against the French in the Stade de France and turned in an impressive late-game comeback. With Luis Muriel and Radamel Falcao spearheading a sustained late game attack from a 2-0 deficit, Juan Quintero delivered the decisive game winner on a penalty kick with five minutes remaining. 

Also taking to the road in Europe was Argentina, which played without Lionel Messi, who was out with a minor leg injury. Despite the absence of their star, players such as Giovani Lo Celso, Fabricio Bustos, and goaltender Willy Caballero stood out in a convincing win against home team Italy. 

With Brazil anxious to make up for its home turf implosion in the last World Cup, these results indicated that South America would be a force to be reckoned with once the national teams take to the field in Russia.