FIFA will assess the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino said the governing body wants the World Cup to reflect the global nature of football by giving more nations the opportunity to qualify.
“These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” Infantino said when asked about the proposal.
“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
Infantino defends tournament expansion
Infantino said the expanded 48-team format at the 2026 World Cup has already demonstrated the benefits of including more countries.
He pointed to the strong performances by African teams, noting that nine of the 10 African representatives progressed to 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.
FIFA approved the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in 2017, with the new format making its debut at the 2026 tournament.
Proposal faces strong opposition
The idea of a 64-team World Cup was formally proposed by South American football governing body CONMEBOL in April 2025 for the 2030 tournament.
However, the proposal has received strong criticism from several football leaders.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin described the idea as “a bad idea”, arguing that it would negatively affect both the World Cup and the qualifying process.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also opposed further expansion, warning that it could create “chaos.”
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani said the proposal “doesn’t feel right” and argued that it could damage the wider football ecosystem.
Hosting challenges remain
A further expansion would create significant logistical challenges for host nations.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will stage the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.
The 2034 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, and a 64-team competition would require 128 matches, placing greater demands on stadiums, transport infrastructure and accommodation.
Despite those concerns, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, has suggested that the United States could consider bidding to host the 2038 World Cup and would be capable of staging a 64-team tournament if FIFA approved the expansion.
FIFA yet to make a decision
FIFA has maintained that it will continue consulting stakeholders before making any decision on expanding the competition.
While the governing body’s council would ultimately decide whether to increase the number of participating teams, there is currently no indication that a decision is imminent.
If approved, a 64-team World Cup would allow nearly one-third of FIFA’s 211 member associations to qualify, while also generating additional revenue for football development around the world.
