FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the decision to expand the Women’s World Cup to 32 Teams, News About Nigeria gathered.
Amidst the final showdown of the Women’s World Cup between England and Spain in Sydney, the FIFA President defended the organization’s stand to expand the tournament to 32 teams. Infantino confidently stated, “I’m sorry, but FIFA was right.”
The expansion from 24 to 32 teams marked a significant change in the Women’s World Cup format, sparking concerns that a larger pool of teams might lead to lopsided scores and weaker matches.
However, this edition of the tournament defied those expectations, with several higher-ranked teams making early exits and lesser-known teams like Jamaica, Morocco, and South Africa making it to the knockout stages for the first time.
Infantino, speaking at a FIFA convention focusing on women’s football, hailed this Women’s World Cup as the “biggest and best ever.”
He addressed the skepticism that FIFA faced when deciding to expand the tournament, saying, “They were saying: it’s not going to work, the level is too different, you will have 15-0 scores, it will be bad for women’s football and its image.”
Despite the doubts, Infantino asserted that FIFA’s decision was vindicated by the positive outcomes of the tournament.
He emphasized that the expanded format allowed more countries to participate, providing a platform for emerging talent to shine on the global stage.
Infantino also highlighted FIFA’s substantial investment of $1 billion in the women’s game, underlining that “full equality has been reached” between men’s and women’s football.
He shared financial insights from this World Cup, revealing that it generated over $570 million in revenue and managed to break even.
The tournament’s financial success, following the path of the men’s World Cup, confirmed the validity of FIFA’s decision and strategy.
