Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

German FA president unhappy with World Cup expansion decision

The president of the German Football Association (DFB) has said he is "not happy" after the FIFA Council rubber-stamped plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams, adding 16 nations, in 2026.

Speaking to his organisation's official website, Reinhard Grindel said FIFA should not forget about football's "important core market" in Europe.

On Tuesday, the FIFA Council unanimously backed president Gianni Infantino's plans to revamp the World Cup.

From 2026 onwards the competition will be played in 16 groups of three, followed by a 32-team knockout stage, but will still take place within a 32-day timeframe.

The DFB does not currently have a seat on the FIFA Council, with former president Wolfgang Niersbach serving a one-year ban for his involvement in the 2006 World Cup scandal.

Grindel said: "I am not happy with this decision, and most of all I would have wished that all important questions regarding organisation had been completely solved.

"But we now have to accept the unanimous decision and look ahead."

Grindel added that that he feared the "attractiveness" of the game could be harmed with more to teams playing to avoid conceding goals rather than scoring them.

He said that would mean "acceptance from both fans and sponsors will suffer."

And he added: "With all respect and sympathy for the ambition to continue the development of football in African and Asian regions, everyone has to understand that it's best to strongly represent the vastly important core market of Europe in the allocation of starting places."

Germany's national team manager Oliver Bierhoff said he could "understand everyone perceiving the expansion as a dilution."

His words were echoed by national coach Joachim Low who said the summer's European Championship, expanded to 24 teams, had shown that more competitors did not increase quality.

"Football has not become more attractive through that," he said, adding that "from a sporting perspective I don't get anything out of it."

On its official website, the European Club Association (ECA) said it "is in principle not in favour of an expanded World Cup," adding that the current format of 32 "has proven to be the perfect formula from all perspectives."

It said the decision had been taken "on political reasons rather than sporting ones and under considerable political pressure, something ECA believes is regrettable."

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