FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that world football's governing body is discussing the feasibility of expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams, Channel NewsAsia reported.
"Of course, it's going to be difficult to organise a World Cup with 48 teams only in Qatar. The idea would be to hold some matches in neighbouring countries.", Infantino said after a FIFA summit in Marrakech
But that is complicated by Qatar being at the centre of the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in years.
Since June 2017, it has been politically and economically isolated in a rancorous diplomatic dispute with former allies, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.