Fifa offers $40m if nations back controversial plan

Fifa's argument that it is compelled to look at proposals that would help it grow the game globally has led to fears about expansion at a time when proposals for a 64-team World Cup in 2030, which will be hosted by six countries in three confederations, are gathering pace.

This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between Fifa and Uefa, which responded angrily to attempts to host the World Cup every two years when the idea was floated by former Arsenal manager and Fifa's current chief of global football development Arsene Wenger in 2021.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest over a number of controversial moves, including US President Donald Trump stepping in to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.