FIFA: Expansion talks coming later
Infantino defends ticket prices, hydration breaks
Senegal's Nicolas Jackson, left, in action with Belgium's Amadou Onana during a Round of 32 World Cup match on July 1 in Seattle. nine of 10 African nations advanced to the knockout round as the continent's teams and other smaller nations showed they can compete with the sport's giants.
ATLANTA — Any further expansion of the World Cup, increasing the number of teams participating at the finals to 64, will be discussed after this year's edition, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.
The finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States have seen 48 teams for the first time, a decision that was heavily criticized but which has not provoked much debate since the tournament kicked off on June 11.
"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino, who successfully pushed for the expansion of the finals from 32 teams, told Swiss television outlet Blue Sport.
He did not elaborate, saying only: "I think it is important that when you want to organize a World Cup, you do it for the whole world — not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.
"Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world."
Infantino hailed the 48-team tournament as a success, saying: "Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point.
"Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams, to give them this opportunity to participate," he added.
Infantino also admitted that introducing hydration breaks during each half, which many have seen as an attempt to help television partners get more advertising revenue, had proved controversial.
"This is a topic that sparks a lot of debate. After all, we don't want to get everything perfect; we like to give everyone something to disagree with ... no, joking aside. Last year, during the Club World Cup in the USA, there were cooling breaks whenever it was very hot.
"These short breaks occurred in about 60% of the matches but not in the other 40% because the temperature wasn't as high. There were many complaints, as the feeling was that all teams should face the same conditions," he said.
He also defended the high ticket prices at the World Cup, saying: "The stadiums are full; capacity utilization is at 99.7% and it will likely reach 99.9% by the end.
"Experts determined the ticket prices before the tournament. Our experts worked on that and told us: 'These are the prices you can go with'. We see the proof now: prices that some people claimed were too high are being resold on the secondary market —which is perfectly legal here — for four or five times the original cost."
Infantino said he expected FIFA to generate $16.08 billion to $17.32 billion from the 39-day World Cup.
Swiss coach blasts VAR rule that resulted in red card
'No reason to award yellow card,' Yakin says
NOTES
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Switzerland coach Murat Yakin described the rule behind Breel Embolo sending off as "unacceptable" after Argentina scored twice in extra time to end the Swiss fairytale World Cup run with a 3-1 quarterfinal victory on Saturday.
Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation in the 72nd minute, five minutes after Dan Ndoye had canceled out Alexis Mac Allister's early opener and with Switzerland carrying the greater threat.
The referee had initially booked Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes before a lengthy VAR review established that Embolo had not been fouled.
"There was definitely no reason to award a yellow card," Yakin said. "It was a harmless situation. He should have let play continue.
"We were punished because of a rule that is unacceptable. I don't understand it. The fact that they intervened unnecessarily is extremely hurtful. It's a rule that has nothing to do with football.
"It destroyed our game today. We have to accept it, but it is painful to lose that way."
Switzerland held out until the 112th minute, when Julian Alvarez whipped a superb long-range shot into the top corner, before Lautaro Martinez added Argentina's third nine minutes later.
The defeat ended Switzerland's first World Cup quarterfinal appearance since 1954 and left them one victory short of reaching the last four for the first time.
Yakin said the dismissal transformed a match his side had begun to control after recovering from Mac Allister's 10th-minute opener.
"I would like to praise the entire team because we came back from a goal down against the world champions and we had the momentum," he said.
"We were dominating and controlling the match, and then we were punished because of a rule that is unacceptable. I don't understand it. My boys are the real heroes."
Midfielder Remo Freuler also questioned the intervention and called on FIFA to explain the decision.
"I'm very proud of the team. You could tell that we gave 100%," Freuler said.
"I don't understand how VAR can make such a decision, and FIFA has to explain it to us."
Embolo collapsed in tears after the red card and was consoled by his teammates before leaving the pitch.
Yakin said the striker was devastated.
"He was fouled many times and he had a few very good moments in this game, but then he couldn't help the team any more," Yakin said.
"I don't blame him. Obviously, he is shattered because he could not help the team. It was a refereeing mistake."
Haaland subbed off
When the final whistle blew on Saturday, following a 2-1 England win in extra time, Erling Haaland wasn't among the players on their knees, digesting the result on the pitch. Instead, Haaland was on the bench.
The Norway star was subbed off at the start of the second half of extra time. The 25-year-old also did not score, the first time Haaland hadn't found the back of the net in an international match since he played Austria on October 13, 2024 − 636 days ago.
Before Saturday, Haaland had scored seven World Cup goals in six matches, firmly inserting him into the Golden Boot race with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. Still, as the match with England went on, Haaland's energy waned.
"It was not a tough decision to take him out because he was finished, and maybe I should have taken him out 10 minutes before, but he obviously (had) the tremendous World Cup," Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said. "Used all his energy and power for game after game after game. I think that he also got dead leg in the second half. So that, combined with the fatigue ... he did everything he could."
BRIEFLY
IRAN: Coach Amir Ghalenoei has extended his contract with the Iran national team until the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January. Ghalenoei, who led his nation to three consecutive draws during the World Cup to narrowly miss out on a place in the knockout rounds, has been in charge of the team since 2023.
SENEGAL: Head coach Pape Thiaw had his contract terminated Sunday. Thiaw, 45, had been on the job since 2024. More than 25% of the World Cup coaches have been fired or resigned since the their teams were eliminated.
