FIFA is set to examine a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, just one edition after the tournament was enlarged from 32 to 48 nations for the 2026 competition.
Speaking to Swiss outlet Bluewin, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the idea would be discussed by the organization’s decision-making bodies after the conclusion of the ongoing World Cup in North America.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.
The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches. According to Infantino, the expanded format has already proved successful, pointing to the performances of teams from across the globe.
“Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. Nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams—to give them this opportunity to participate," he said.
The FIFA president argued that the World Cup should continue to expand opportunities for nations outside football’s traditional powerhouses.
“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world—not just Europe and South America," Infantino said. “Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
The proposal would represent another major transformation for the competition, which had remained at 32 teams between 1998 and 2022. Before that, the tournament expanded from 16 teams to 24 in 1982.
The 2030 edition is already expected to be unlike any previous World Cup. To mark the tournament’s centenary, the opening matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay before the competition moves to its main hosts—Morocco, Spain, and Portugal—making it the first World Cup to be staged across three continents.
