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The 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will see the number of teams increase from 32 to 48.
World football governing body, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has defended the organisation’s decision to expand their football carlendar.
Infantino made the comments shortly after his re-election for a third term until 2027, at the FIFA Conress in Kigali, Rwanda stating that there is a need for "way more" football.
In the build up to the Congress on Thursday, FIFA had announced an expanded 2026 World Cup and a new 32-team Club World Cup, both decisions which were met with criticism from player unions and La Liga.
Infantino insisted that there is not enough football played in most parts of the world, saying; "We need way more and not less competitions, we want football to develop worldwide.”
"In fact, in most parts of the world there is not enough football played. When I hear there is too much football, yes, maybe in some places, but not everywhere.”
FIFA is also discussing the possibility of organising a women's Club World Cup and a FIFA World Series in March every two years, when teams are free from playing qualifiers.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will see the number of teams increase from 32 to 48.
The tournament will have 104 matches, and there will be a new last-32 round. Countries will have to play eight matches to win the tournament, compared to seven at the 2022 World Cup.
The 32-team Club World Cup will take place every four years from June 2025, with FIFA also announcing the current seven team tournament will remain and will run in years in between.
However, players union Fifpro and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) have raised concerns about the demands on players, while La Liga said FIFA's plans showed a "complete disregard" for the football community.
The FIFA congress also addressed human rights issues surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Michael Llamas, chairperson of the FIFA sub-committee on human rights and social responsibility, stated that FIFA was committed to assessing the human rights legacy of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Human rights organisations claimed thousands of migrant workers had died in Qatar since the country was awarded the World Cup but Qatari authorities denied this, and stressed the country was making labour reforms.
Lisa Klaveness, the head of the Norwegian Football Association, who led the calls for FIFA to address the issue, welcomed the pledge as a first step in the process.
However, human rights organization Amnesty International stated that workers in Qatar had "already waited far too long for justice."
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