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Xavi playing for Al Sadd in Qatar.
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Spain legend Xavi says 48-team World Cup in Qatar 'will not be good'

‘It’s good for football to have 32. That’s more than enough,’ he added.

SPAIN LEGEND AND World Cup 2022 global ambassador Xavi believes a 48-team tournament in Qatar ‘will not be good’.

In 2017, Fifa voted to add an extra 16 teams to the 2026 competition, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Qatar tournament is currently scheduled to take place between 21 November and 18 December 2022 with 32 teams, but Fifa president Gianni Infantino is pushing to bring forward the expansion.

At a Fifa Council meeting in Miami on Monday, the governing body decided to defer the final expansion decision.

Xavi, a 2010 World Cup winner who now plays in the Qatar Stars League for Al Sadd, believes 32 teams is ‘more than enough’ for Qatar.

“It’s too much and too long,” he said.

“Imagine 48 teams in Qatar, it will not be good in my opinion.

“It’s still for the organisers to decide, but for now Qatar is doing everything to prepare for 32 teams and it will be difficult to change it for more teams.

“Also, it’s good for football to have 32. That’s more than enough.”

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