Will the 2030 World Cup expand to 64 teams? What FIFA’s Infantino says

Published 13 July 2026 · sports

FIFA president says during the first World Cup to feature 48 teams that it’s under consideration. FIFA will examine the possibility of expanding the men’s

FIFA president says during the first World Cup to feature 48 teams that it’s under consideration. FIFA will examine the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament, FIFA President Gianni Infantino says. Speaking to the Swiss news site Bluewin, Infantino said the proposal would be examined by FIFA’s relevant committees after the 2026 World Cup. Recommended Stories list of 1 item list 1 of 1 FIFA, Infantino, to examine 64-team World Cup for 2030 tournament end of list His comments come during the first World Cup to feature 48 teams after FIFA expanded the competition from the 32-team format used at every tournament from 1998 to 2022. Here is what we know What did Infantino say? In the interview, Infantino said expanding the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams had been “100 percent” the right decision, describing the new format as a “huge success”. He argued the larger tournament had strengthened football globally, pointing to the performances of smaller football nations. “Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point,” Infantino said. “Nine out of 10 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 added.

Asked whether the competition could eventually grow to 64 teams, Infantino said the proposal “will be examined and discussed”. He said the global tournament should be organised “for the whole world” rather than only for football’s traditional powers, arguing that greater participation means better football. “If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving,” he said. What would a 64-team World Cup look like? FIFA has not explained how a 64-team World Cup would be structured, but one option would be to return to the traditional format with a larger field. The tournament could feature 16 groups of four teams with each nation playing three group-stage matches. The top two teams from each group would then advance to a 32-team knockout stage. Such a format would likely increase the tournament to 128 matches. The World Cups that featured 32 teams had 64 games while this year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States has 104. Who supports the proposal? The proposal has gained its strongest backing in South America, where football officials argued that the World Cup’s centenary in 2030 is a fitting opportunity to include more nations. The idea is being championed by CONMEBOL, South America’s football confederation, which represents the continent’s 10 national associations, including World Cup winners Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.