FIFA will examine the possibility of expanding the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament, President Gianni Infantino has said, arguing that every nation should have the opportunity to dream of playing on football’s biggest stage.
Speaking in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said FIFA’s relevant committees will discuss whether increasing the number of participating teams from 48 to 64 is the right next step after what he described as the successful debut of the expanded 48 team format.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.
The FIFA chief defended the idea by stressing that the World Cup should represent every continent rather than only traditional football powers.
“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. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”
FIFA praises 48 team format after strong global performances
The 2026 World Cup marked the tournament’s first expansion from 32 to 48 teams, increasing the schedule to 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Infantino described the new format as a “huge success” and pointed to the improved performances of teams from outside Europe’s and South America’s traditional football strongholds.
“Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point,” he 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.”
Only four teams remain in the current tournament. Argentina, England, France and Spain have reached the semi finals after a month of competition that began with 48 nations.
Expansion could reshape the centenary World Cup
The 2030 World Cup will celebrate the tournament’s 100th anniversary and will become the first edition staged across multiple continents.
Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host one opening match to commemorate the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. Morocco, Portugal and Spain will then stage the remainder of the tournament. If FIFA approves a 64 team format, the three South American hosts could each stage an entire four team group instead of a single opening fixture.
A further expansion would add 16 more national teams only four years after the move to 48 participants. Supporters believe it would create more opportunities for developing football nations and accelerate the sport’s global growth. Critics, however, argue that a larger tournament could stretch the calendar, increase travel demands and dilute the quality of qualification.
FIFA has not set a timeline for making a final decision. The proposal will first go through the organisation’s committees before any recommendation reaches the FIFA Council for approval.
