FIFA, Infantino, to examine 64-team World Cup for 2030 tournament

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is exploring the possibility of further expanding the World Cup, with a proposal to increase the number of participating teams from 48 to 64 for the 2030 tournament under consideration. Infantino expressed his belief that such an expansion would align with FIFA's goal of making the tournament a truly global event.

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

"When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America – but effectively the entire world," Infantino told Swiss media outlet Bluewin. He emphasized that allowing more nations to participate would provide them with the incentive to improve their quality of play. "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," he added.

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When organising 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.

The current 2026 World Cup marks the first time the tournament will feature 48 teams, a change Infantino has lauded as a "huge success." He pointed to the high level of play and the increased representation from all continents, noting that "Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage" in the recent tournament, a significant improvement from previous editions.

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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.

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

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Every team played ⁠at a high level. 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, to give them this opportunity to participate.