2022 World Cup stays with 32 teams: Blatter

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2022 World Cup stays with 32 teams: Blatter

Blatter says he knows how to create a better image for Fifa and promises to unveil surprising plans on the first working day of his fifth term as president

By (Agencies)

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Published: Sun 31 May 2015, 12:06 PM

Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2015, 8:09 PM

Sepp Blatter (right) is congratulated by Uefa president Michel Platini after being re-elected Fifa president in Zurich on Friday. — AFP

Zurich — Fifa president Sepp Blatter said Saturday the 2022 World Cup will be held with 32 teams and with the same number of regional slots as for 2018.

“There is no change,” Blatter told a press conference after a Fifa executive committee meeting.

The committee decision means that Europe will still get 13 places at the finals and South America four.

European countries will be able to bid for the 2026 World Cup following a decision by world soccer’s governing body Fifa on Saturday.

Blatter said the executive committee had agreed that all continents could bid to host the event except for Asia, where Qatar will host the 2022 tournament.

Blatter had said earlier this month he wanted to implement a form of rotation, under which a continent which hosted the World Cup could not bid for the subsequent two tournaments.

That would have ruled out a European bid in 2026 and, in doing so, favoured the United States which is expecting to bid.

Fifa said in a subsequent statement: “With regard to the bidding process for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Executive confirmed that, in accordance with the Fifa Statutes, member associations from the Asian Football Confederation would not be able to bid.” 

Meanwhile, Blatter says he knows how to create a better image for Fifa and promises to unveil surprising plans on the first working day of his fifth term as president.

Buoyant after being re-elected at the Congress of soccer’s ruling body on Friday, the 79-year-old Swiss told Fifa TV he would have time to work on his plans after the “tragic events” involving officials at his organisation earlier this week.

“This gives me now the time because I was said to be responsible with what’s happened. I take the responsibility and we have to build up now a better image of Fifa and I know how to do it,” said Blatter.

“I cannot disclose it now but we will do it as from tomorrow morning. We have a meeting of the executive committee and they will listen to me, they will receive some information or some messages, some of them will be surprised.”

Neither Blatter nor his opponent Prince Ali bin Al Hussein received the necessary two-thirds of the ballot in the first round of the election.

Blatter secured 133 votes against 73 for Prince Ali but the Jordanian then swiftly conceded. Reflecting on a turbulent week that saw a spate of arrests of high-ranking Fifa officials amid an FBI investigation, Blatter said: “It was a very difficult Congress due to the circumstances of these events.

“I would say also kind of tragic events, Wednesday and Thursday in Zurich and all with the media in the world, what they said about Fifa.”   


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