Infantino: We will study increasing the number of teams in the World Cup to 64
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, confirmed that the international football governing body will consider a proposal to expand the number of teams participating in the World Cup to 64, starting with the 2030 edition, following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament, according to The Athletic.
FIFA had already expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The 2030 edition will be held across six countries and three continents. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each host one match to open the tournament, while Morocco, Spain, and Portugal will host the remaining fixtures.
Infantino stated that FIFA’s specialized committees will discuss the proposal after the current tournament concludes, emphasizing that the World Cup is a global event, not limited to Europe and South America.
He said, “Every country should have the chance to dream of participating in the World Cup. The level of national teams is constantly rising around the world, and if smaller nations are not given the opportunity to participate, they will lose the motivation to continue developing.”
Infantino described the expansion to 48 teams for the 2026 edition as a “100 percent success,” despite the criticism the idea faced. Carlos Queiroz, the coach of Ghana, argued that the expansion diminished the value of the qualifiers and made the tournament “more ordinary.”
The FIFA president also revealed that he communicates with U.S. President Donald Trump “almost daily,” confirming that Trump follows most of the tournament’s matches. He reiterated his assurance that Trump will attend the final match and present the trophy to the winning team.
The idea was first raised during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025 by Uruguayan Ignacio Alonso, before being endorsed by Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation). Dominguez described hosting a 64-team World Cup in 2030 as a “dream,” calling the edition an opportunity to “unite the world, if only for once.”
Supporters of the expansion argue that hosting only three matches in South America for the 2030 edition would deprive the continent of hosting the entire tournament until at least 2042, due to FIFA’s rotation hosting regulations. This makes the expansion a chance for Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to host full groups instead of just one match each.
Conversely, the project faces widespread opposition. A tournament with 64 teams would involve more than a quarter of FIFA’s member national associations, which could diminish the value of continental qualifiers.
