Story highlights European clubs oppose expansion plan

Number of games already "unacceptable"

(CNN) First Germany coach Joachim Low. Then Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Now the organization that speaks for Europe's biggest football clubs has rejected FIFA's plan to expand the World Cup in 2026.

The European Club Association said Thursday that the number of games played throughout the year was already at an "unacceptable" level, and urged the governing body to reconsider its idea of increasing the number of teams that qualify for soccer's biggest tournament from 32 to 48.

Last week FIFA president Gianni Infantino altered his October expansion proposal by saying he wants 16 groups of three teams to compete, with the top two progressing to the last-32 knockout stage.

His initial plan featured a knockout round before group games began, with the 16 defeated nations going home after playing just one match.

The proposals will be put to a vote at a FIFA council meeting in Zurich in January, according to the AFP news agency.