Infantino is keen to start the new competition, which would involve 12 clubs from Europe, in June 2021.
The Fifa president has sold his brainchild as a huge money-raiser, worth around £18billion over 12 years.
But the money will come from a consortium led by Japanese financiers Softbank – and effectively funded by the Saudi government.
Major nations are considering ending lucrative deals with the Saudis following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside his country’s consulate in Istanbul.
Infantino, though, is refusing to back down from his masterplan and has insisted that the Club World Cup and also Global Nations League proposals are both on the agenda for this week’s meeting of Fifa’s ruling Council in Rwanda.
The Fifa chief infuriated Uefa and the European Clubs Association when he pulled his latest rabbit out of the hat earlier this year.
But it emerged that Fifa had tempted major clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool, with promises of involvement and a £2bn prize money pot, with the winners banking £100m.
Fifa have yet to formalise their idea and some clubs, as well as Uefa, are demanding that entry should be earned by right – based on Champions League performances – rather than invitation.
It is envisaged that along with the 12 European teams there would be four or five sides from South America, two each from Africa, Asia and Concacaf (North and Central America) plus one slot for the host nation and a play-off place for the Oceania champions.
The tournament would be played every four years, in the summer before the World Cup.
Infantino’s determination to push ahead with the plans comes in the wake of growing international disquiet about the Saudi government in the wake of Khashoggi’s death.
The under-fire Swiss appears to be stepping back from his plan to make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar the first 48-team tournament, with no mention of that plan on the minutes for the two-day meeting in Kigali this week.
But Infantino is still confident that his two new tournaments, which would replace the current seven-team Club World Cup – the next edition will be held in the UAE in December- and the eight-nation Confederations Cup will move forward.
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