International Football
FIFA BOSS PROPOSES 32-TEAM WOMEN’S WORLD CUP IN 2023
BY LIAM MORGAN
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is hoping to bring his preference for expansion to the Women’s World Cup as he claimed he wants the 2023 tournament to grow from 24 teams to 32.
Infantino said he would put the proposal to the FIFA Council and member associations for approval but warned the global governing body would have to “act quickly”.
The bidding process for the 2023 World Cup may have to be re-opened, Infantino said, to accommodate the possibility of an extra eight teams.
FIFA received nine bids for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, including a joint candidature from North and South Korea.
The FIFA Council is due to select the host at its meeting in March 2020.
The suggestion came as part of a five-point plan from Infantino as FIFA attempts to capitalise on the success of this year’s World Cup in France.
Infantino said the tournament prize money for 2023 would likely be doubled from the $30 million (£24 million/€26.7 million) on offer at the 2019 edition to $60 million (£48 million/€53 million).
The figure is still considerably less than the $400 million (£319 million/€356 million) prize pot for the 2018 men’s competition, where winners France pocketed $38 million (£30 million/€34 million).
The $30 million available at this year’s Women’s World Cup was also doubled from $15 million (£12 million/€13 million) in 2015.
The FIFA President raised the possibility of creating a Women’s Club World Cup and Nations League for national sides, which would use a similar format to the one used by UEFA in the men’s game.
“It’s a great thing, this World Cup, but then people forget, they do other things ‒ it is our job to make sure that they don’t forget and we don’t just say ‘see you in four years,’” Infantino said.
“That’s why I propose to the FIFA Council and to all our members ‒ who have to embrace the development of women’s football.
“We have already more than doubled the prize money for the World Cup this year, but we will double it again for the next World Cup ‒ I am very confident that we can do that.
“We will have to act quickly to decide if we are to increase it for 2023.
“If we do, we should reopen the bidding process to allow everyone to have a chance or maybe co-host.
“Nothing is impossible.”
Infantino has already overseen the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The FIFA President failed with an attempt to grow the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 nations because of diplomatic tension in the Gulf.
– insidethegames
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Shooting Stars, Ikorodu City, in Winner-Takes-All Quest for Confederation Cup ticket
Rangers, Rivers United Seal CAF Champions League Tickets
Barcelona seal 29th LaLiga title with 2-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- Boxing1 week ago
Usyk backs Joshua to beat Fury ahead of heavyweight showdown
- World Cup3 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup3 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup3 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup4 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup6 days ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Premier League3 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale