Qatar World Cup is best ever – FIFA

Gianni Infantino has delivered his closing remarks ahead of Sunday’s final

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed that the World Cup in Qatar has been the best iteration of the tournament to date. He was appearing at a press conference ahead of Sunday’s final between Argentina and France.

Infantino also confirmed in his closing remarks that the 2026 World Cup which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada will be expanded to feature 48 teams, although the initially planned format will be revisited. Thirty-two teams have taken part in the tournament in Qatar.

Infantino had previously come under fire in his pre-tournament press conference several weeks ago when he addressed the controversy surrounding the hosting of the World Cup in Qatar – a country which had been vilified in some quarters for what was seen as systemic discrimination against LGBT people, as well as the alleged widespread abuse of migrant workers who helped construct the various stadium infrastructure.

In those comments, Infantino stated that he felt “gay,” “disabled” and “African,” among other things, as he commented upon the negative press associated with Qatar’s human rights record.

On Friday, though, there were no such headline-grabbing statements.