FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reportedly given his backing to a 48-team World Cup.

Discussions over the expansion of world football's biggest event have been ongoing for months now and a final decision is expected at the next meeting of the FIFA Council in January.

However, it is understood that Infantino has put his weight behind the movement, with his preferred option being to have 16 groups of three teams.

In such a format, the top two teams of each group would advance into the last 32, where the tournament would proceed on a knockout basis.

The current format allows 32 teams to compete in the tournament, although any changes are unlikely to come in before 2026.