FIFA Considers Expanding 2030 World Cup to 64 Teams

FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that the organization will explore expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, following the successful introduction of a 48-team format for the 2026 tournament. This potential expansion would add another 16 teams to the centenary celebration, which is set to be co-hosted across six countries and three continents.

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It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.

Infantino argued that allowing more nations to participate aligns with the World Cup's global appeal. "Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup," he stated, emphasizing that the increasing quality of teams worldwide necessitates giving smaller countries a chance to compete. He believes this participation provides crucial incentive for global football development, asserting that the World Cup belongs "to the whole world, not just Europe and South America."

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Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high – and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.

Despite Infantino's positive assessment of the 2026 World Cup as "100 percent a success," the idea of further expansion has met with criticism. Concerns have been raised that a larger tournament could dilute the quality of matches, particularly in the group stages, and potentially make qualification less challenging for many teams. This would allow over a quarter of FIFA's 210 member nations to compete.

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It was 100 percent a success.

Senior football officials have already voiced their opposition. Aleksander Čeferin described the 64-team proposal as a "bad idea," and Victor Montagliani echoed this sentiment, calling it "not a great idea." The FIFA committees are expected to revisit the issue after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

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It is a bad idea.