‘Every nation should be allowed to dream’; Infantino open to 64-team WC in 2030

New York, July 12: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition will be formally considered after the ongoing 2026 tournament, opening the door to another major increase in the size of football’s biggest competition.
The 2026 World Cup, being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format used in every edition from 1998 to 2022.
Under the current format, the 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two sides from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the newly introduced round of 32, beginning the knockout phase. A total of 104 matches are scheduled across the tournament.
With the expanded format already in operation, Infantino confirmed that FIFA will consider whether the competition should grow further when the World Cup celebrates its centenary in 2030.“It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, as quoted by The Athletic.
“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,” he added.The 56-year-old also gave a strong endorsement to the move from 32 to 48 teams, describing the expanded tournament as “100 per cent a success”.
Any move to 64 teams would represent another significant change to the World Cup structure and could lead to a further increase in the number of matches, participating nations and logistical demands on the hosts.
The 2030 World Cup is already set to be unique in the tournament’s history, with matches taking place across six countries and three continents. Uruguay, which hosted the inaugural World Cup in 1930, will stage a centenary celebration match, while Argentina and Paraguay will also host one match each. The rest of the competition will be held across Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
While FIFA’s proposal is expected to spark intense debate within the football community, supporters believe a 64-team World Cup would provide greater opportunities for emerging football nations and accelerate the sport’s global growth. Critics, however, argue that another expansion could dilute the tournament’s overall quality, increase fixture congestion and place an even greater physical burden on players. With the 48-team format making its debut in 2026, FIFA’s committees are now set to evaluate whether football’s biggest spectacle is ready for yet another historic transformation ahead of its landmark centenary edition in 2030. (AP)