Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has revealed that he plans to expand the World Cup should he oust Sepp Blatter as FIFA president later this month.
The 39-year-old is now the sole challenger to Blatter's crown, after Michael van Praag and Luis Figo both withdrew from the running on Thursday afternoon.
By pulling out of contention, all weight can now be thrown behind Prince Ali in order to prevent current president Blatter winning a fifth consecutive term in office.
In a revised manifesto, Prince Ali of Jordan stated that he will include four more teams in the World Cup, with AFC, CAF and CONCACAF federations each gaining an additional qualification spot.
"[I will make a] commitment to extend the number of teams in the World Cup from 32 to 36 teams as soon as possible," he said. "Ideally in time for the 2018 World Cup [in Russia]."
Dutch soccer chief Van Praag also offered his backing: "I fully support Mr Ali and ask for the member states that promised me their support to vote for Prince Ali in the coming elections.
"I will have an active role in the next weeks to convince those people who need to be convinced to vote for the Prince."
The presidential election takes place on May 29.
Daniel Lewis
