World Cup Set for Biggest-Ever Expansion as FIFA Eyes 64-Team Tournament

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino says football’s governing body will examine a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, a move that could make it the biggest tournament in the competition’s history.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that football’s governing body will examine a proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, potentially making it the biggest tournament in the competition’s history.

Speaking to Swiss news outlet Bluewin, Infantino said the proposal would be discussed by FIFA’s relevant committees after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA president described the newly expanded 48-team format introduced at the 2026 tournament as a “huge success,” insisting that giving more countries the opportunity to participate has strengthened football globally.

According to Infantino:

“Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams.”

He added that expanding the competition allows smaller football nations to develop and compete at the highest level.

“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

What a 64-Team World Cup Could Look Like

Although FIFA has not announced an official format, one proposal would see the tournament expanded to 16 groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group advancing to a 32-team knockout stage.

If approved, the competition could feature 128 matches, compared to 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup and 64 matches under the previous 32-team format.

Support and Opposition

The proposal has received strong backing from CONMEBOL, South America’s football governing body, which believes the centenary edition of the World Cup should include more nations.

However, the idea has faced opposition from several football leaders.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin described the proposal as “a bad idea,” warning it could weaken the competition.

Similarly, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa rejected the plan, arguing that continuous expansion could create unnecessary chaos and overcrowd the international football calendar.

2030 World Cup Hosts

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with special centenary matches scheduled to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to celebrate 100 years since the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

FIFA has not yet set a timeline for making a final decision on whether the tournament will be expanded to 64 teams.