Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Saturday, March 14, 2026, 08:25 / Updated Saturday, March 14, 2026 08:26
The Club World Championship marked a new era in the competition that decides the best club in the world, with the introduction of a new version of the tournament with 32 participating clubs. Gianni Infantino (55), the president of FIFA, wants to increase the number of participants in the tournament he introduced last year.
The plan is for this competition to take place once every four years, but the FIFA president wants to increase both the number of clubs and the frequency of the event.
“We see how we can improve [Campionatul Mondial al Cluburilor]. People are talking about 32 teams, but there could be more,” said Gianni Infantino in an interview with As publication this week. However, his ambition clashes with UEFA's claims.
Infantino wants more teams at the Club World Cup
The Times reports that European football's governing body will 'block' any attempt by Infantino to expand the Club World Championship, either by increasing the number of teams or turning the competition into a biennialaccording to abola.pt.
UEFA will have “the most vehement opposition” against these goals of Infantino, writes the same source. Furthermore, any attempt to increase the number of European clubs in the competition would also be contested. In last year's edition, Benfica and FC Porto were 12 of the European emblems present, a competition that did not include, for example, the champions of England (Liverpool), Spain (Barcelona) and Italy (Napoli).
Infantino has already achieved his goal of expanding the World Cup from the traditional 32 to 48 teams, which will happen for the first time this summer.
The FIFA president has not hidden his ambition to expand more competitions and the number of participants, so the idea of a renewed Club World Championship was already a promise of the official since the year of his election as FIFA president in 2016.
