The FIFA Council has approved working with Qatar to explore the possibility of expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams through the addition of one more host country.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is keen to expand the tournament and says a feasibility study shows it can be achieved with a second host.
The announcement was made at a FIFA Council meeting in Miami, though a final decision will not be taken until a full meeting of FIFA Congress in Paris in June.
The feasibility study said Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and United Arab Emirates were potential co-hosts for the tournament.
However, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates would not be allowed to share the tournament unless their governments end a diplomatic blockade of Qatar, which has been on-going since 2017.
