South American countries urge FIFA to bring in 48-team World Cup for 2022

The competition is due to be enlarged from 32 teams to 48 in time for the 2026 finals, which will be awarded either to Morocco or a joint North American bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada.

However, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez handed over a letter at the organisation’s congress in Buenos Aires to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, signed by the heads of the 10 South American federations, urging the early expansion.

“We are asking that the 2022 World Cup be played with 48 teams,” Dominguez said.

Five CONMEBOL teams — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and Peru — will go to this year’s World Cup in Russia.

Under the existing qualifying system, four South American countries qualify automatically with the fifth having to come through a two-legged play-off.

For this year’s World Cup Peru beat Oceania’s top side New Zealand to make it to Russia.

The new 48-team format will give South America six places, with a seventh side going into an intercontinental play-off.