CHENGDU, Jan. 11 (NBD) -- FIFA announced to expand the World Cup to 48 teams, adding 16 extra nations to the 2026 tournament which is likely to be held in North America.

Upon hearing the new, many Chinese football fans were excited, acclaiming "China will have a bigger chance to enter World Cup".

The news is regarded as "a move to break the ceilings of Chinese capital for football industry" by some professionals.

Jiang Lizhang, the founder and chairman of Desports, told NBD on Tuesday, a bigger World Cup benefits Chinese football, which means it would benefit investors.

Jiang said, the football market will stay a buoyant one in at least decade. Football rules should be respected and hastiness should be avoided.

According to a report disclosed by The Times, with more teams, FIFA projects the equivalent of 1 billion US dollars extra income at current rates, compared to 5.5 billion US dollars revenue forecast for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn