A mini play-off round in the middle of the 2006 World Cup finals could hold the key to whether the tournament in Germany is expanded from 32 to 36 teams.

Brazil and Argentina are leading a South American campaign to expand the finals to make amends for losing a place following a trade-off last December.

Under the South American plan, the finals would start with nine groups of four teams rather than eight at present, a senior CONMEBOL source said.

The nine group winners would be guaranteed entry into the 16-strong second round plus the five second-placed teams with the best records in terms of points, goal difference etc.

The remaining two places would be settled by two play-offs involving the remaining four second-placed teams.

The schedule envisages the finals taking 34 days compared with 31 in South Korea and Japan in 2002, and 33 in France in 1998. The number of matches would be increased by eight to 72.

Eduardo Deluca, the Argentine general secretary of CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has circulated a draft proposal among the other five regional federations - UEFA (Europe), Oceania, CONCACAF (Central and North America), Asia and Africa.

"We think this answers the concerns raised by some of our colleagues in other confederations," the senior CONMEBOL source said. Opponents of an expanded World Cup fear it will become too long and unwieldy.

The South Americans have until June 28, when FIFA meets in Paris on the eve of the Confederations Cup final, to swing voters on the all-powerful executive committee.

The 32-team finals in France in 1998 and in Korea/Japan last year offered eight first-round groups of four teams with the top two proceeding to the knock-out second round.

BLATTER SCEPTIC

Sceptics of expansion, including FIFA president Sepp Blatter, consider the finals long enough and the idea of inserting play-offs will arouse great debate.

The concept is not new. Three play-offs were staged in 1958 in Sweden between teams level on points after the first round.

Opponents of a 36-team finals such as Frenchman Michel Platini, who is a member of both the FIFA and UEFA executives, have other causes for concern.

FIFA has signed all its major television and sponsorship deals so little extra money would be available to meet the costs. So maintaining a tight time schedule and producing a coherent formula were two conditions set when FIFA's executive, on May 3, approved the expansion in principle.

CONMEBOL has proposed one extra place for South America plus two for Europe - thus currying voting favour in UEFA - with the other to be decided in a play-off between Asia and Central/North America.

The joint presidents of the 2006 local organising committee, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, have told FIFA Germany could cope logistically. But they are expected to demand that FIFA foots the bill for the extra cost.

Also, Mayer-Vorfelder has warned about club resistance to an expanded World Cup. After FIFA's in-principle acceptance of 36 teams, he said: "We must consider carefully how far we dare go without creating a conflict with the clubs.

On this issue European is endangered because of the difficulty of balancing club needs."