Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Friday, June 12, 2026 11:44 p.m. / Updated Friday, June 12, 2026 11:54 p.m.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino quipped Italy in an interview given to the Brazilian station CazéTV. He said the world body could consider expanding the global soccer competition to 64 or even 228 teams to make it easier for the Azzurra squad to qualify, after three failed attempts in a row, and other national teams watching the tournament on TV.
Infantino wanted to make a joke but managed to anger the Italians, who twisted the knife in their wound after Gennaro Gattuso's team lost in the play-offs to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Abodi: “I want to hear, what I'm reading leaves me perplexed! The distance between Italy and Mexico is great and it's better to talk on the phone”
“First of all, we have to see how this 48-team World Cup goes. It's already a very big event. We've discussed a 64-team competition with even more involvement from around the world.
It has already been discussed in the FIFA Council, but now let's enjoy this edition with 48. Maybe Italy will qualify with 64 national teams. Who knows, maybe if we put 228…”, said the head of FIFA, with an ironic but also cryptic tone.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president // PHOTO: Ionuț Iordache (GSP)
The allusion is also valid for other representative teams that haven't reached a WC final tournament for a long time. For example, even Romania, the last presence of the “tricolors” dating back 28 years, the France 1998 edition.
His statements quickly reached the ears of the Italians.
“I want to hear this, what I'm reading leaves me perplexed! Since the distance between Italy and Mexico is great, it's better to talk on the phone to understand each other, when his schedule allows… I'm interested to know his thoughts directly”, commented the Minister of Sports and Youth, Andrea Abodi, the joke of the FIFA president.
Infantino: “The Azzurri will be back soon and I can't wait to see them play again at the World Cup in the centenary edition in 2030”
But it was an unfortunate remark from the FIFA president, who later hit back in an Instagram post, realizing the wave of outrage he had caused in Italian football.
Italy missed out on WC 2026 after being eliminated in the play-off final by Bosnia // PHOTO: Guliver/GettyImages
“The Azzurri will be back soon and I can't wait to see them again in this great centenary competition in 2030. Until then, we'll be enjoying everything this amazing 48-team football tournament has to offer.
The 2026 World Cup is the most inclusive yet and we will experience the many stories and emotions it will bring us,” Gianni Infantino said.
