FIFA have scrapped the idea of making the 2022 World Cup a 48 team tournament.
World football's governing body are to host the tournament in Qatar in November and December of that year, a move which has been controversial, not only for the suitability of the hosts, but for the disruption to the club calendar.
What was another bone of contention was the idea to expand the tournament from 32 teams to 48 teams in the Gulf, allowing other countries to host 'The Greatest Show on Earth' with Qatar.
That would be good for the region, but tensions are too heightened right now for planning to begin. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are currently engaged in a blockade of oil rich Qatar, which would have meant that only Kuwait and Oman could have shared the tournament. That's not going to happen, and Qatar, which is spending approximately €200 billion euro on the World Cup, is not equipped to host 48 teams.
The first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930 had 13 teams. That moved to 16 teams from 1934 until 1982, when 24 teams were hosted for the first time in Spain.
In 1998, FIFA expanded the tournament to 32 nations, where it stands today.
The Republic of Ireland last qualified for the World Cup in 2002, and have only reached the biggest stage on 3 occasions. Stephen Kenny will be in charge by the time qualification comes around for Qatar. Only 13 European teams will have the chance to qualify and given the recent struggles of the national team, it's going to be another tall order.
It will be a lot easier for the Boys in Green to make it to the 2026 World Cup. By then, the tournament will consist of 48 teams, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
There will be 16 groups of 3 in the opening phase in 2026, with the top 2 in each group entering a knockout stage of 32.
My experience of the 2018 World Cup in Russia was that 32 teams was the right number, enough to showcase the best in the world, but also broad enough for nations such as Peru, Panama and Australia to have the chance to qualify. The downside of a 48 team World Cup would be the plethora of one sided matches early doors and a rush to a knockout system.
A 48 team World Cup will guarantee one thing for FIFA. More money.
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