Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, revealed that the 2026 World Cup would be the first step to explore the possibility of expanding to 64 teams, which would hopefully provide an opportunity for more countries to participate.
Infantino Opens Opportunity for 64 Team World Cup
According to Sports.
Background
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, has drawn attention to the importance of inclusion in global football. With the success of the upcoming 48-team World Cup, he believes that expanding to 64 teams could be of great benefit to the development of football around the world, including countries such as Morocco which has shown significant progress in international competitions.
Why this is important
Gianni Infantino's statement regarding the possible expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams shows FIFA's commitment to increasing inclusion in global football. With more countries participating, this tournament can create more opportunities for teams from various parts of the world, including smaller countries that have been underrepresented. This could also increase the appeal of the World Cup as a competition that embraces all countries, not just Europe and South America.
Main Points
- Infantino Opens Opportunity for 64 Team World Cup.
- Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, revealed that the 2026 World Cup would be the first step to explore the possibility of expanding to 64 teams, which would hopefully provide an opportunity for more countries to participate.
- Infantino opens door to 64-team World Cup - Yahoo Sports.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, recently revealed that plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams will be evaluated after the 2026 tournament. In his statement, Infantino stressed that football should be for the whole world, not just for Europe and South America. This is an important step to ensure that every country has the opportunity to dream of participating in this prestigious event.
Proposals to expand the tournament to 64 teams have been put forward since last year, and Infantino believes that the success of the now 48-team World Cup shows that FIFA should start thinking about how a 64-team format could be implemented. "It is important to organize a World Cup for the whole world. Every country should have the opportunity to participate," he said in an interview with Swiss television station Blue Sport.
Infantino noted that the quality of teams around the world is improving, and if smaller countries are not given the opportunity to participate, they will lose the drive to continue developing. He took the example of the last World Cup, where nine out of ten teams from Africa made it to the knockout stages, showing the importance of inclusion of all teams.
In 2017, FIFA approved plans to expand the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 teams, starting at the 2026 World Cup. An official proposal to increase the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was submitted by South American football's governing body, CONMEBOL, in April 2025, but a final decision has yet to be taken.
The 2030 World Cup is planned to be held jointly by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three opening matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the tournament's 100th anniversary.
Reactions to this proposal have varied. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated that the idea of expanding to 64 teams was a "bad idea" both for the tournament itself and the qualification process. Meanwhile, AFC president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, also agreed that further expansion would bring "chaos".
On the other hand, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup duties, stated that the United States would probably consider bidding to host the 2038 World Cup and felt it could handle it if the tournament was expanded to 64 teams.
FIFA has always stated that it will discuss expansion ideas with stakeholders and is obliged to consider any proposals from board members. Although the FIFA council will make a final decision, there is currently no sign that this will happen soon.
Since Infantino was elected in 2016, one part of his manifesto was to increase the number of World Cup participating teams from 32 to 40. In less than a year, that number was increased to 48 and approved by the FIFA council, which will be effective from the 2026 World Cup. Speculation regarding FIFA's desire to go further and faster in expanding the number of teams continues.
The challenge faced is that as the number of teams increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold tournaments. This year's World Cup will be held in three vast countries, while in 2030, matches will be held in six countries - Morocco, Portugal, Spain, as well as Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as commemorative hosts. How Saudi Arabia will be able to handle a 64-team tournament involving 128 matches in 2034 remains a question mark. However, this is a beneficial move for Infantino on two fronts: first, it gives more countries the opportunity to play in the World Cup, and second, the bigger tournament means more revenue can be distributed to member associations.
What happened next
After the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will evaluate the feasibility of expanding the tournament to 64 teams. An official proposal for the 2030 World Cup has been submitted by CONMEBOL, and a final decision regarding the format is expected to be announced in the near future. If approved, this would provide an opportunity for more countries, including Uruguay and Portugal, to compete on the world stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Gianni Infantino say about the World Cup?
Gianni Infantino revealed that plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams will be evaluated after the 2026 tournament.
Why does Infantino want to expand the World Cup?
Infantino believes that football should be for the whole world and every country should have the opportunity to participate in this prestigious event.
Who proposed expanding the World Cup to 64 teams?
An official proposal to increase the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was submitted by South American football's governing body, CONMEBOL, in April 2025.
When will the evaluation for the expansion of the World Cup take place?
Evaluations to expand the World Cup to 64 teams will take place after the 2026 tournament.
What happens at the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will start with a 48-team format, which was approved by FIFA in 2017.
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