FIFA is expected to decide in January whether they will expand the World Cup from a 32-team tournament to as many as 48 countries.

Gianni Infantino, elected to the post in February to replace Sepp Blatter, said the governing FIFA Council had been “rather positive” in a meeting Thursday about a possible expansion. “The level of quality of football is increasing all over the world,” he said. A vote will be taken when the council meets again in Zurich in January, he said.

Infantino pledged during his campaign for the presidency to expand the World Cup to 40 nations, but he suggested in a speech in Colombia this month that the number rise to 48. 

Infantino’s desire to “optimize” the structure of the World Cup was part of his vision for a so-called FIFA 2.0 plan that was unveiled Thursday by the organization, which has spent much of the last six years mired in scandal.