Qatar could share the hosting of the 2022 World Cup with one of its neighbours
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be expanded to 48 teams after a Fifa feasibility study backed an increase in the number of teams set to compete at the tournament.
After Qatar controversially won the right to host the tournament back in 2010, it was expected that 32 teams would take part – as was the case in last summer’s World Cup in Russia.
This, however, may not be the case, with the Associated Press obtaining a copy of a Fifa report which looked at the political, logistical and legal issues involved with adding a further 16 teams to the tournament.
The report was prepared so that the Fifa Council could agree in principal to changing the format of the tournament during a meeting in Miami this week. A final decision on the matter would then be made in June.
One implication of the change would mean that Qatar would partly share the hosting of the World Cup with one of its neighbours. Stadiums in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were all mentioned by the report as possible hosts, though any final decision on this matter – which may be influenced by recent tensions in the Gulf region –Â would rest with the Qataris.
The report also found that there would be a low legal risk to changing the format of the tournament and that in doing so, $400 million in revenue could be generated.
