Infantino faces backlash in Italy over World Cup joke
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 12, 2026, 11:57 PM
Last updated Jun 12, 2026
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has drawn criticism from Italy after making a joking remark about the national team's recent World Cup failures. During an interview with Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV, he suggested Italy might qualify for a larger World Cup, saying, "Maybe Italy will qualify for a World Cup with 64 teams, or we could even go up to 228 teams." Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi expressed irritation over the comment and plans to seek clarification from Infantino, suggesting a phone call due to the geographical distance between Italy and Mexico, where the next World Cup will be held. Italy's last participation in the World Cup occurred in 2014.
- •Gianni Infantino made a joke about Italy's World Cup qualifications.
- •Italy has not qualified for the World Cup since 2014.
- •Andrea Abodi plans to contact Infantino for clarification.
- •The next World Cup will expand to include more teams.
- 12:19 AMYahoo Sports — Infantino takes a swipe at Italy: maybe they'd qualify with 64 teams
- 11:57 PMYahoo Sports — Infantino sparks criticism in Italy after joke about World Cup
"FIFA president Gianni Infantino has sparked criticism in Italy after a joking remark about the nation's poor World Cup record in recent times. In an interview to Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV, Infantino poked fun at the Italian national team's latest failure to qualify for the World Cup while speaking about a potential expansion of the tournament to 64 teams.
"Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, continues to stir controversy with his statements about the World Cup and the number of countries participating in this first historic edition. On this occasion, the...
Sources
External links- Yahoo SportsJun 13, 2026, 12:19 AMInfantino takes a swipe at Italy: maybe they'd qualify with 64 teams
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, continues to stir controversy with his statements about the World Cup and the number of countries participating in this first historic edition. On this occasion, the...
- Yahoo SportsJun 12, 2026, 11:57 PMInfantino sparks criticism in Italy after joke about World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has sparked criticism in Italy after a joking remark about the nation's poor World Cup record in recent times. In an interview to Brazilian broadcaster CazéTV, Infantino poked fun at the Italian national team's latest failure to qualify for the World Cup while speaking about a potential expansion of the tournament to 64 teams.
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