FIFA reopens the question of World Cup expansion: 64 national teams as early as 2030
After the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will consider the possibility of a further expansion of the largest international football competition, this time from 48 to as many as 64 participants. FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport on July 13, 2026, that all issues related to the future format would be discussed after the current tournament, once again emphasizing that the World Cup should be a competition open to the entire world. His statement does not mean that a decision has been made, nor has FIFA so far published an official format proposal, an allocation of additional places or a decision-making timetable. Nevertheless, the fact that Infantino has publicly left the door open to the idea shows that the proposal, which first appeared within the governing structures of world football in 2025, is no longer merely a passing thought. It is most commonly associated with the 2030 edition, when the World Cup will mark the centenary of the first tournament held in Uruguay.
Infantino described the current edition featuring 48 national teams as highly successful, while FIFA highlighted strong attendance, a powerful atmosphere in the stadiums and the competitiveness of teams from different confederations during the tournament. For supporters of further expansion, this is precisely the main argument: a larger number of participants provides more opportunities for countries that have remained outside the final tournament for decades, broadens the competition's global reach and increases the developmental impact of competing at the highest level. Opponents, however, warn that a jump to 64 national teams would come only four years after the first implementation of the 48-team format, before its long-term sporting, organizational and financial consequences could be assessed. The debate is therefore not only about the number of places, but also about how far football's most important competition can expand without losing some of its quality, prestige and identity.
From 32 to 48, and then perhaps to 64 national teams
The 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America is the first edition with 48 participants, after 32 national teams competed in the tournaments from 1998 to 2022. Under FIFA's official format, the teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32. This has increased the number of matches from 64, as played in Qatar in 2022, to 104. The new system has brought a broader geographical composition to the tournament, but also a more complex qualification table for the knockout stage, because national teams from different groups are compared according to their results in order to determine the eight best third-placed sides.
FIFA has not yet announced what a competition featuring 64 national teams would look like. The simplest model would consist of 16 groups of four teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the round of 32. Such a structure would include 96 group-stage matches and a further 32 in the knockout phase, making 128 in total, or 24 more than at the 2026 tournament. Under this model, a finalist would still play a maximum of eight matches, the same as in the current format, meaning that the burden on an individual player at the final tournament itself would not necessarily increase further. However, the total number of national teams, camps, training centers, journeys, security operations, media crews and organizational requirements would rise, while the qualification systems of all six continental confederations would have to be adapted to a new allocation of places.
Sixty-four participants would represent slightly more than 30 percent of FIFA's total of 211 member associations. For many federations, this would significantly increase the realistic possibility of making a first or more frequent appearance on the world stage, which could bring investment in infrastructure, greater revenue for national federations and increased interest in football. On the other hand, broader access to the final tournament could reduce the importance of qualification, especially in confederations where a large number of national teams already compete for a relatively high number of places. The allocation of the additional 16 positions would therefore be one of the most politically sensitive issues, as every confederation would seek a larger share, while FIFA would have to balance the principle of global representation with sporting criteria and market interests.
The idea was officially raised for the first time in 2025
The proposal for 64 national teams did not emerge after the 2026 World Cup. In March 2025, Reuters, citing FIFA, reported that FIFA Council member Ignacio Alonso of Uruguay had spontaneously raised the issue of a one-off expansion at a meeting held on March 5 of that year. The idea was presented as a way of marking the tournament's centenary, and FIFA stated at the time that it had an obligation to analyze proposals made by members of its Council. In September 2025, Infantino met in New York with the president of the South American confederation CONMEBOL, Alejandro Domínguez, and the heads of the football associations of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, during which the possibility of a larger tournament in 2030 was considered again.
There was no unity within football institutions from the outset. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who is also a FIFA vice-president, publicly called the idea a bad one in April 2025, warning that it could negatively affect both the World Cup and continental qualifying competitions. Media reports from South America also pointed to divisions among CONMEBOL members, partly because a different qualifying system could reduce the sporting tension and commercial value of the traditional South American league competition for qualification to the World Cup. For that reason, the proposal cannot be regarded as a unified demand from the entire region, although it is strongly supported by the countries that will host the centenary matches in 2030.
Infantino's statement of July 13, 2026, gives the debate new significance because it comes after the practical experience of the first tournament with 48 participants. For years, the FIFA president has advocated the expansion of international competitions as a means of developing football beyond its traditional centers of power. FIFA emphasizes that a greater number of places allows national teams from Africa, Asia, North and Central America, the Caribbean and Oceania more frequent access to top-level competition. Critics respond that development does not depend solely on the final tournament, but also on long-term investment in domestic leagues, coaches, youth academies, infrastructure and high-quality regional qualifying competitions.
The centenary tournament is already organizationally unprecedented
Even without further expansion, the 2030 World Cup will be the most geographically dispersed edition in the history of the competition. FIFA officially awarded hosting rights to Morocco, Portugal and Spain, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each host one match as part of the centenary celebrations. All six countries will qualify automatically. The three South American matches are intended to symbolically return the tournament to the continent where it began in 1930, after which the main part of the competition will continue in Europe and North Africa.
Such a concept already entails travel between three continents, different climatic conditions, multiple regulatory systems and complex coordination among the hosts. Following the hosting announcement, the Associated Press warned of the great distances and time zones involved, while supporters' organizations raised questions about costs, accessibility and environmental impact. An expansion to 64 national teams would place additional pressure on transport networks, accommodation capacity, stadiums and training centers. Although the three main hosts have developed football infrastructure and are planning new projects, the initial bidding documents and evaluations were prepared for a smaller-scale tournament, meaning that any change would require a new assessment of capacity and operational plans.
The scheduling issue would be particularly sensitive. A greater number of matches would not automatically have to mean a much longer tournament if more games were played on the same day, but such an approach would increase demands on stadiums, television slots, security services and transport. Extending the competition, on the other hand, would intrude more deeply into clubs' preparations for the new season and further shorten the players' rest period. FIFA has not yet published even a draft calendar for a 64-team model, so estimates regarding the number of days and the specific distribution of matches remain unofficial.
Player workload remains the central issue
The expansion debate is taking place at a time when clubs, leagues and players' unions have already been warning for years about a congested international calendar. In its reports, the global union FIFPRO states that the expansion of club and international competitions reduces rest and recovery periods, increases the number of consecutive matches and lengthens international travel. Although a finalist in a possible 64-team format could play the same number of matches as in 2026, further changes to qualification and the greater number of players involved would affect the broader system. The issue is not only how many matches an individual plays at the World Cup, but how many accumulate over the entire season, how much time is spent travelling and how many days are available for physical and mental recovery.
FIFA claims that it takes player welfare and sporting integrity into account when designing competitions. It was precisely for those reasons that the earlier plan for 2026 featuring 16 groups of three national teams was replaced by a system of 12 groups of four, reducing the risk of tactical calculation in the final round. However, relations between FIFA, European leagues and some players' unions remain tense because of the scale of the international calendar. Every new reform will therefore have to be accompanied by concrete rules on minimum rest, preparation periods, travel and match scheduling, rather than merely the assertion that a larger tournament provides more opportunities.
Climate risk presents an additional problem. Morocco, Portugal and Spain can experience high temperatures during June and July, which means that match times, the availability of covered stadiums, cooling protocols and spectator protection will be important regardless of the number of participants. A larger schedule could increase the number of daily time slots, including matches played during parts of the day that are less suitable because of the heat. Alongside sporting and commercial criteria, FIFA will therefore have to assess health and climate conditions at all locations.
More matches also mean greater commercial potential
The World Cup is FIFA's key source of revenue, and an additional 24 matches in a possible 64-team model would create more room for television rights, sponsorship packages, ticket sales, hospitality programs and digital content. FIFA has not published a financial projection for such a format, so it cannot be reliably claimed how much revenue it would generate. Nevertheless, a greater number of markets represented at the final tournament generally increases the interest of national broadcasters, advertisers and audiences, particularly when countries with large populations or strong diasporas qualify for the first time.
It is precisely for this reason that critics believe the sporting debate cannot be separated from business interests. They warn that the prestige of qualification could decline if almost every third FIFA member association reaches the final tournament and that a larger number of unevenly matched fixtures could weaken the quality of the groups. Supporters respond that the global gap in quality is narrowing, that upsets are an important part of the World Cup's appeal and that access to the tournament accelerates the development of national teams that traditionally do not play many matches against elite opponents. The final assessment will therefore also depend on a detailed analysis of the 2026 results, rather than solely on total attendance or revenue.
The allocation of additional places is the greatest unknown
If FIFA seriously moves toward 64 participants, one of the first decisions will have to concern the allocation of the 16 new places among the confederations. The current 48-team format increased representation from every part of the world and introduced an intercontinental play-off tournament for the final places. A new expansion would open negotiations between UEFA, CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC, with each organization presenting arguments based on its number of members, sporting results, market size and development needs. Since the six 2030 hosts have already qualified automatically, it would also have to be decided whether their places count within the continental quotas or are added on top of them.
That decision would directly affect qualifying formats, television-rights revenue and the number of attractive matches in each region. In Europe, the question would arise of how many more places could be awarded to a confederation that already has the largest representation. In Africa and Asia, the argument would be the large number of member associations and growing competitiveness, while North and Central America, the Caribbean and Oceania would seek greater representation for developmental purposes. In South America, which has only ten members, an excessively large quota could almost eliminate the risk of failing to qualify and thereby weaken one of the most recognizable continental competitions.
For now, however, there is no official proposal, vote or confirmed deadline. Infantino announced that the issue would be considered after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, meaning that a more formal analysis of the sporting model, finances, infrastructure and the positions of the confederations could begin only then. Until that point, the only certainty is that the 2030 tournament will mark the centenary in six countries across three continents and that FIFA is once again considering the limits to the growth of its most important competition. The decision on 64 national teams will show whether world football's governing body gives priority to broader inclusion and additional commercial reach or concludes that the 48-team format is a limit that should be retained for at least one more cycle.
Sources:
- Indian Express – Gianni Infantino's statement to Blue Sport on considering the format after the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official explanation of the 2026 World Cup format featuring 48 national teams, 12 groups and 104 matches (link)
- FIFA – official information on the hosts of the 2030 World Cup and the automatic qualification of six countries (link)
- Reuters / The Star – confirmation that the 64-team proposal was raised at a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025 (link)
- Associated Press / ESPN – UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin's position against expansion to 64 national teams (link)
- FIFPRO – reports and analysis of the consequences of a congested calendar for player workload, rest and recovery (link)
- Associated Press – context regarding travel, time zones and the organizational challenges of the 2030 World Cup across three continents (link)