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Radical development
FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed a major surprise regarding the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal when he confirmed that the federation will formally examine a proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams, up from the current system of 16 teams, which will see 48 teams participate for the first time in 2026.
Infantino said in statements reported by the network The Athletic“The tournament, which includes 64 teams, is an issue that will certainly be studied and discussed in the relevant committees after the end of the current World Cup,” stressing that “the World Cup is a tournament for the whole world, not just Europe and South America.”
He added: “Every country should have the dream of participating in the World Cup, the level of teams around the world is constantly rising, and if smaller countries are not given the opportunity to participate, they will not have the opportunity to continue developing.”
Although the idea of increasing the number of teams to 64 is not new, as it has been proposed in recent months by a number of South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) officials, it has always been presented as a long-term project that could see the light of day in future editions of the World Cup and not start until 2030.
Infantino’s comments therefore came as a surprise after he confirmed that the proposal would in fact go to the official discussion table of FIFA’s committees after the 2026 World Cup, opening the possibility of it being implemented in the next issue if it is approved.
Infantino described the decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams as a “100% success” despite criticism of the new system, which some saw as losing some of the value of qualifying.
On the other hand, the 64-team plan faces strong opposition, notably from UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin, who described the idea as “bad”, arguing it would harm the European Championship and qualifying. CONCACAF President Victor Montaliani also expressed his rejection of the proposal.
Supporters of the expansion believe it will allow more countries to appear at soccer’s biggest global forum, while opponents fear it will lead to a drop in the value of qualifiers and a congested tournament schedule, making the expected decision by FIFA one of the most high-profile files that will determine the format of the 2030 World Cup.
