Africa will definitely get behind plans to expand the World Cup because the continent will hugely benefit from such a move, Nigeria's Football Federation chief told Ahram Online on Friday. Amaju Pinnick, who is not part of FIFA's council that will vote on the proposal to increase the number of World Cup participants on Tuesday, said Africa deserves better representation at the tournament, given its large number of member associations in the world governing body. The 37-member FIFA Council will decide whether to increase the tournament from the current 32 teams to either 40 or 48, starting in 2026. The council includes African vice-president and secretary general - Cameroon's Issa Hayatou and Senegal's Fatma Samoura respectively - and six other members from Egypt, Burundi, Tunisia, DR Congo, Guinea and Ghana. FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised during his election campaign to expand the World Cup. "Nigeria would be very supportive of the expansion. We always say that, whatever Infantino is doing we will support him because he is somebody who is very passionate about football," Pinnick told Ahram Online via phone. "It will be very good for football; there will be more participation, something that definitely Nigeria and most African countries would support. "Africa has 54 members in FIFA so, technically, the continent contributes about 25 percent of the total number [of members]. This means Africa will be immediate beneficiaries of the move," he added. Infantino asked the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for support in September as he proposed an expansion to the World Cup in Cairo, saying that the enlargement will give the continent "at least two more slots". The continent currently has five slots. "Africa will also benefit from businesses and investments [in case of World Cup expansion]," Pinnick said. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
