Potential World Cup expansion to be discussed after 2026 edition - Infantino

FIFA President Gianni Infantino indicated that discussions about further expanding the World Cup, potentially to 64 teams, will take place after the 2026 tournament. The current 48-team format, implemented for the first time in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, has faced criticism but has not generated significant debate since the tournament began.

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These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup.

Infantino championed the 48-team expansion, which he successfully pushed through, arguing it is crucial for global participation. "Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup," he stated, noting the increasing quality of teams worldwide. He believes that offering smaller countries a chance to compete provides them with the incentive to improve their performance.

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I think it is important that when you want to organise a World Cup, you do it for the whole world, not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.

The FIFA president praised the current tournament, highlighting that teams from every continent have scored goals and earned points. He pointed to the success of African teams, with nine out of ten reaching the knockout stage, a significant increase from the previous World Cup. Infantino also defended the controversial introduction of hydration breaks, explaining they were implemented based on temperature conditions to ensure fairness, and justified high ticket prices by citing the near-perfect stadium attendance.

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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.

Discussions about future World Cup formats will occur after the current tournament concludes, with Infantino emphasizing the importance of a truly global event that allows all nations to participate and dream.

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