Gianni Infantino confirms FIFA will examine 64-team World Cup expansion

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has officially confirmed that the governing body will evaluate the possibility of expanding the World Cup to a 64-team format. While the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is set to be the first to feature 48 teams, officials are already looking ahead to the 2030 edition.

The 2030 tournament is primarily hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with centenary opening matches scheduled in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. However, a formal pitch from South American leadership has prompted FIFA to reconsider the scale of the event. Infantino stated in an interview with Swiss media that the proposal will be discussed by relevant committees following the current World Cup cycle.

Infantino argues that a larger tournament provides essential motivation for developing football nations to invest in the sport. He maintains that the move to 48 teams has already proven successful, pointing to the high performance of lower-ranked teams as justification for further growth.

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. Gianni Infantino

The 64-team proposal gained traction following support from CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez, who views it as a way to unite the world. A larger format could theoretically allow South American hosts to stage entire groups rather than just the initial centenary matches.

The idea has faced significant pushback from other regions. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has dismissed the plan as a "bad idea," while Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz warned that further expansion risks making the tournament feel "vulgar and ordinary."