Wenger said the 48-team World Cup was a ‘natural evolution’ and they had learned lessons from the long summer in the US.

December 5 – Former Arsenal manager and FIFA global development officer Arsene Wenger says a 48-team World Cup will not affect the quality of the tournament. He added that FIFA will protect players from heat.

Speaking on the eve of the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Frenchman defended the addition of 48 teams – up from 32 – calling it a “natural evolution.”

He said: “I believe 48 teams is the right number. That’s less than 25% (of the entire FIFA membership) – there is a chance to participate. That means one in four teams has a chance to participate. That means still 75% of teams are not present,” Wenger said.

He was referring to China and India, representing three billion people, who missed out on the tournament. “These teams are not here by chance because they were invited,” said Wenger. “[They’re] here because they have beaten several teams in their confederation, but they have quality, and you look at the playoffs now, the quality of the players and the quality of the teams that play there.”

“We had the same questions to answer at the U-17 World Cup and we were pleasantly surprised [at the quality].”

Last summer, FIFA faced criticism for holding its inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, straining the international match calendar and exposing players to the sweltering heat of the American summer. Wenger promised that FIFA “will do everything possible to protect the players” next year. The world federation will reveal the match schedule on Saturday, the day after the draw.

Wenger said: “We are considering the best possibility for the team to be protected from the heat and also for the players where we have hydrating moments during the game but that can be determined before the game.”

The Frenchman also said that England were one of the favorites to win the World Cup, but called his native France the “super favourites”. England reached the last four of the 2018 World Cup and finished runners-up at the last two Euros, while France appeared in the finals of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, winning the tournament in Russia.

“England are one of the favorites for the World Cup – they are always close to qualifying. They have the quality to do it,” said Wenger.

“I tried to be as objective as possible but France are favorites for one reason: they have more world-class strikers than any other country.

“That would make a big difference.”

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