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FIFA eyes 2030 World Cup expansion to 64 teams

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • FIFA President Gianni Infantino is considering expanding the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
  • Infantino stated that expansion would give more nations a chance to participate and improve the global quality of play.
  • The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, and Infantino considers the current 48-team format a success.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is exploring the possibility of further expanding the World Cup, potentially increasing the number of participating teams from 48 to 64 for the 2030 tournament.

That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.

— Gianni InfantinoInfantino's response when asked about expanding the World Cup beyond 48 teams for the 2030 tournament.

Infantino told Swiss media outlet Bluewin that such an expansion would align with FIFA's goal of organizing the World Cup for the entire world, not just traditional powerhouses in Europe and South America. He emphasized that allowing more nations to dream of participating is crucial for incentivizing improvement in global football.

"Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup," Infantino said. "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."

When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world not just Europe and South America but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be ⁠allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.

— Gianni InfantinoInfantino explaining the rationale behind considering a larger World Cup format.

The World Cup field has seen significant growth, expanding from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 edition. Infantino described the current 48-team format as a "huge success," noting that teams from every continent performed well and that nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stage, a marked increase from previous tournaments.

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.

— Gianni InfantinoInfantino arguing for the inclusion of more teams to foster global football development.

The 2030 World Cup is already planned as a multi-continent event, with initial matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, and the remainder in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. An expansion to 64 teams could allow these South American host nations to each stage a four-team group instead of just a single match.

Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one ⁠point.

— Gianni InfantinoInfantino describing the success of the 48-team format in the current World Cup.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ghanaian Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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