2026 World Cup: Gianni Infantino makes light of Italy's absence

On the eve of the 2026 World Cup kickoff, Gianni Infantino continues to make headlines. The FIFA president took advantage of an interview with the Brazilian channel CazéTV to discuss the future of the competition and the question of a possible expansion of the number of participating teams.

While this edition is the first in history to bring together 48 national teams, the FIFA leader explained that the world football governing body wanted to first assess the effects of this new format before considering further changes.

According to the Swiss of Italian origin, increasing the number of teams would allow more nations to experience the World Cup and would strengthen the competition's global appeal.

“We first need to see how this 48-team World Cup works. Every qualification is an important moment for a country. We have already considered the idea of a 64-team tournament, which would offer even more opportunities and broader global representation,” he said.

But it was a remark about Italy that particularly caught everyone's attention. Having missed out on the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions once again, the Squadra Azzurra was the target of a joke from the FIFA president.

With a smile, Gianni Infantino quipped: "Perhaps Italy could qualify with 64 teams. And why not with 208 teams, to be sure they succeed!"

A humorous outing that is unlikely to amuse all Italian supporters, still marked by the successive failures of their national team in the World Cup qualifying campaigns.