Infantino wants 32-team Club World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the Club World Cup into a global event featuring 32 teams and move it from December to June.

A new 'World Cup for clubs' should be created that "is interesting for the clubs but also for fans all over the world," Infantino said in interviews with the Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo and Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Modern football is not only Europe and South America," said Infantino, who has already proposed a controversial expansion of the World Cup to 40 teams. "The world has changed. The current format is not exactly inspiring."

The current Club World Cup takes place in December with each continental champion joining the league winner of the host country in a convoluted format of games.

The 2016 edition takes place in Japan but is usually of little interest to European clubs in the middle of their domestic seasons.

"Is it better to organize an itinerary or a tournament?," he asked. "Not in winter, but in summer with the best 32 clubs in the world."

According to Infantino, the new tournament could take place from 2019 and run June 10-30. However, difficulties could arise from clashes with the 2019 Copa America held in Brazil and the women's World Cup, hosted in France, around the same time.

mds (dpa)