FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the organization will examine the possibility of expanding the World Cup to a 64-team format as early as the 2030 edition.
The information was published by The Athletic, the sports arm of The New York Times.
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The current tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, introduced the 48-team format, a significant increase from the 32-team version that was in place from 1998 to 2022.
For 2030, the World Cup is scheduled to be spread across six nations and three continents: Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host most of the matches, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each stage one match at the start of the competition, in tribute to the centenary of the 1930 World Cup.
Discussions gained momentum in September 2025, after FIFA received a formal proposal from a delegation of South American leaders.
In an interview with Swiss outlet Bluewin, Infantino confirmed that the talks will take place shortly after the end of the current World Cup.
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“It is definitely a matter that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup. Every nation should have the right to dream of taking part in the tournament. The quality of the teams is extremely high and keeps getting better all over the world. If you do not give smaller nations the chance to participate, they will not have the incentive to keep improving,” he said.
Infantino also strongly defended the current 48-team format, calling it “100% a success.”
The remark comes in response to criticism from figures such as Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz, who said the expansion had devalued the qualifiers and made the tournament “vulgar and commonplace.”
Who supports a 64-team World Cup?
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The original idea came from Uruguayan official Ignacio Alonso during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025.
Later, in November, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez described a 64-team tournament as his “dream,” saying that an expansion of that magnitude “would unite the world, even if only once.”
Under FIFA’s rotation rules, a continent can host the World Cup only once every three editions. By hosting matches in 2030, South America is barred from being the main host until at least 2042.
With the tournament expanded to 64 teams, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay could each host an entire group instead of receiving just one opening match.
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Who is against the expansion?
A World Cup with 64 teams would mean the participation of more than a quarter of all 210 FIFA member associations, raising fears that the regional qualifiers would lose their meaning.
It is worth noting that, under the current 48-team format, six of the ten South American teams already qualify automatically, with a seventh entering the intercontinental playoff.
Opposition to the project has already been clearly expressed among European and North American officials:
Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA President): Rejected the proposal, calling it a “bad idea” that would harm both the tournament itself and the competitiveness of the European qualifiers.
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Victor Montagliani (CONCACAF President): Echoed Ceferin’s view, publicly stating that the expansion “is not a good idea.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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