Infantino, the Fifa president, is pushing hard for the expansion for 2022

Fifa’s plans to enlarge the 2022 World Cup have infuriated clubs who fear a drain on players having to turn out in matches only 48 hours apart.

An 81-page feasibility study produced by Fifa claims expanding the 2022 tournament from 32 to 48 teams can work if a country nearby to hosts Qatar, such as Kuwait or Oman, can be used to stage additional matches.

The study also insists the extra 16 matches — 80 games instead of 64 — can be squeezed into a shortened 28-day tournament, to be played in November and December, by losing rest days and playing up to six group matches a day.

“Implementing this format under the reduced tournament duration of 28 days would require some adjustments to aspects