How the 64-team World Cup could change football’s economy | World Cup 2026 news

The first round of the 48-team World Cup has not yet finished, but Gianni Infantino has already admitted that football’s biggest competition could one day expand, a move that could dramatically change the economics of the sport.

Speaking to Swiss television at the tournament, the FIFA president said that a World Cup with 64 teams was among the proposals that could be reviewed for the final, re-opening the debate about the size of the show.

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The consequences of further expansion are obvious. A big tournament may require more arenas, more hotels, more transportation, and more time.

But financial problems can be very important. By making it easier for the major nations of the game, the 64-team tournament would reduce the commercial value of the qualifying tournaments while increasing the importance of the FIFA event.

If broadcasters put a lower price on qualifying campaigns, the six football governing bodies could rely on FIFA’s distribution system, which would shift a lot of financial power – and power – to the world governing body.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for the World Cup itself, and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers. So I don’t agree with that idea,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said last year. The role of the European governing body has not changed since then.

The president of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, also voiced opposition, asking last year that further expansion should end.

“I think it’s important that when you want to prepare for the World Cup, you do it globally – not just in Europe and South America,” Infantino said when discussing the idea of ​​a bigger tournament. “If you don’t give small countries the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, they won’t have the motivation to continue to do well.”

The 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States was the first since 1998 to expand from 32 teams, spread across 48 countries and 104 matches over five years.

If the tournament remains the same with four groups followed by 32 knockouts, the 64-team World Cup will have 128 games – 24 more than in 2026 and double what was done under the old 32-team format.

Unless FIFA imposes a schedule or other games at the same time, this would add another week to a tournament that has lasted more than 5 weeks.

Plans are in place for Spain, Portugal and Morocco to form the main stage of the 2030 World Cup while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host opening games to mark the game’s centenary. Having 64 teams in six host countries presents a major organizational challenge. Doing this in one country can be very difficult.

Saudi Arabia, due to host the tournament only in 2034, is already facing serious questions. Ramadan is expected to begin in November of that year, making the November-December window used for the 2022 World Cup in neighboring Qatar difficult to repeat and forcing an unprecedented overhaul of the international calendar.

A 64-team tournament could add to the challenge, requiring more stadiums, training facilities, hotels, more transport and volunteers while putting an additional risk on infrastructure in a country still developing its tourism industry.

The Saudis have planned 15 stadiums of the existing 48 teams with eight stadiums in Riyadh, four in Jeddah and others in Khobar, Neom and Abha. Construction and renovation work is already underway ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup.

A wider World Cup competition would also put more pressure on an already crowded international calendar and add to the pressure on domestic leagues, many of which are tied to the August to May European season.

Japan’s J-League is about to start its first August-to-May campaign while the US Major League Soccer is planning a similar change from next year. Therefore, the World Cup of the Winter season could disrupt the growing competition rather than the major league in Europe, as was the case in 2022.

The World Cup can be expensive for national organizations, even a rich one like France. The French Football Federation expects to spend 24.5 million euros ($28m) on this year’s World Cup with federation president Philippe Diallo saying Les Bleus may need to reach the semifinals to avoid bankruptcy.

At the April FIFA conference in Vancouver, Diallo said FIFA should provide financial support to participating countries.

If the 48-team tournament is already increasing the revenue of the participating organizations, a longer 64-team event could increase the revenue.

Concerns about player safety may increase with more matches increasing the number of top players.

The 64-team competition would give more nations access to football’s biggest arena but could also spark debate over competitions, length of competition, fan value and whether the World Cup risks losing the isolation it has long supported.

Whether the proposal goes further than negotiation may depend in part on how the 48-member National Committee is judged in the end.