Full Breakdown
FIFA Mulls 64-Team World Cup for 2030
7/12/2026, 8:36:50 PM
Proposed Expansion and Hosting Plan
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the organization will examine a further increase from the 48-team format used in 2026 to a 64-team tournament for the 2030 edition. The idea was first raised by Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso at a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025 and later championed by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez, who called the 64-team vision his “dream.” 2030 is slated to be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay each staging an opening match to honor South America’s role in the competition’s origins. The 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was the first to expand to 48 teams, raising matches from 64 to 104 and, according to Infantino, proving “100 percent a success.”
Official Statements & Responses
Infantino emphasized that the World Cup should be “for the whole world, not just Europe and South America,” and argued that expanding the field would let “every nation…dream of participating.” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani publicly rejected the plan, describing it as a “bad idea” and “not a great idea,” respectively. CONMEBOL’s Domínguez reiterated that a larger tournament could “unite the world, just once.”
Criticism and Opposition
Opponents warn that a 64-team format would dilute regional qualification, with more than a quarter of FIFA’s 210 men’s national sides competing and many qualifiers becoming “meaningless.” UEFA’s Ceferin warned it would damage both the World Cup and Europe’s qualifying competition. CONCACAF’s Montagliani echoed similar concerns. Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned of potential “organizational chaos,” while former Germany coach Joachim Löw argued the expansion would be “excessive” and strain player health amid an already congested calendar. Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz also criticized the 48-team format, calling it “vulgar and ordinary.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” — Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
- “You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high—and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.” — Gianni Infantino
- “bad idea” — Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president
- “not a great idea.” — Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF president
- “dream” — Alejandro Domínguez, CONMEBOL president
