Infantino confirms FIFA will examine expanding 2030 World Cup to 64 teams

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed the governing body will examine expanding the World Cup to 64 teams ahead of the 2030 edition, following what he described as the unqualified success of the newly enlarged 48-team tournament in 2026.

Speaking to Swiss outlet Bluewin, Infantino said a 64-team World Cup is “definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.” He framed the potential expansion in inclusive terms, arguing that “every nation should be allowed to dream of participating” and that withholding qualification from smaller countries removes their incentive to develop the game.

The 2026 tournament marked the first time the competition had grown beyond 32 teams since that format was introduced in 1998. FIFA had received a formal pitch to expand further to 64 teams as far back as September last year, with Infantino indicating at the time that discussions would follow the conclusion of the current edition.

The 2030 World Cup is already set to be the most geographically dispersed in the competition’s history, spread across six nations on three continents. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host a single match to mark the tournament’s centenary, while the bulk of the competition will take place across Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

A 64-team field would mean more than a quarter of FIFA’s 210 men’s international member associations compete at a single World Cup — a scale that has drawn sharp criticism from within football’s governing structures. UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin called the proposal a “bad idea”, while CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani echoed that view, describing it as “not a great idea.”

Opinion on the 48-team format has itself been divided. While Infantino declared it “100 percent a success”, critics have pointed to a group stage in which it was statistically harder to be eliminated than to advance, and where the gap in quality between competing nations was at times pronounced. A further expansion to 64 would only deepen those concerns for those who believe the tournament’s competitive integrity is already under strain.