48 teams on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the worldfootball body’s president Gianni Infantino. The 2022 tournament in the Gulf state will now beplayed with 32 nations taking part. FIFA said it had abandoned the expansion plans“following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process” which led to theconclusion that “under the current circumstances such a proposal could not bemade now”. The expansion was a pet project of Infantino, whopushed the idea despite the likely need for Qatar’s neighbours to put aside atwo-year blockade and help to host an expanded tournament. The study, seen by AFP, also claimed that a QatarWorld Cup with 48 teams would generate “between $300-$400 million (265-354million euros) of additional income”. Specifically, FIFA was counting on an additional$120 million in TV rights, $150 million in marketing rights and $90 millionfrom ticket sales.