Infantino opens door to 64-team World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has indicated that plans for a 64-team men's World Cup will be thoroughly examined and discussed following the 2026 tournament. Infantino stated that football must be "for the whole world," suggesting that further expansion is a logical next step given the success of the current 48-team format.

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

"That's definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup," Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of a 64-team tournament. He emphasized the importance of organizing the World Cup for "the entire world," not just traditional powerhouses like Europe and South America. Infantino believes that giving every nation a chance to participate fuels incentive for improvement and showcases the rising quality of teams globally.

Infantino pointed to the "huge success" of the first 48-team World Cup, highlighting that nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stages. He contrasted this with previous tournaments where only five African teams participated, underscoring the value of inclusivity.

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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.

However, the idea of further expansion is not universally welcomed. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has called it a "bad idea" for both the tournament and the qualification process. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), warned that more expansion could lead to "chaos." Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, expressed that the suggestion "doesn't feel right" and could harm the "broader football ecosystem."

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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.

Despite these reservations, the South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, officially proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams in April 2025, though no decision has been made. The 2030 tournament will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with opening matches in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. FIFA's official stance remains that it will consider all proposals from its council members after discussions with stakeholders.

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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.