The FIFA will make the decision in January 2017 on how many teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup, while its president, Gianni Infantino, recalled on Thursday that he was in favor of a formula with 48 teams.
"We had a constructive debate but no vote was taken," said Infantino at the end of the first of the two days of the FIFA Congress.
Last week, Infantino confirmed in an interview with AFP that he favored a transition from the current format with 32 teams to an expanded format with 48 teams starting from the 2026 edition.
"There is still work to be done in analysis, and the confederations want to know how many of their teams can qualify," added Infantino. "Until that date, everything is still possible, 32 teams, 40 or 48, but we are focusing on a format of 48," added the successor of Sepp Blatter.
This long-awaited decision will be made during the next meeting of the FIFA Council in January. The specific day will be announced on Friday.
According to Infantino's preferred format, the 16 winning teams from their groups would qualify directly for the World Cup, and the other 32 teams would come from a playoff that would take place at the World Cup venue, although it has not yet been determined how the pairings would be made.