FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reportedly opened the door to a significant expansion of the World Cup, potentially increasing the number of participating nations to 64. This ambitious proposal, which would see the tournament grow from its current 48-team format, aligns with Infantino's track record of enlarging football competitions, including the new-look Club World Cup and the already expanded World Cup.
The concept of a 64-team World Cup gained traction following a request from CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, in April 2025. Their proposal called for a one-off expansion for the 2030 World Cup, which will mark 100 years since the inaugural tournament in Uruguay. While the 2030 event is primarily hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, the opening three matches are set to be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay as centenary hosts. CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez stated the expansion would ensure "nobody on the planet is left out of the party."
However, the idea has met with considerable resistance from other major football confederations. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin dismissed it as a "bad idea," citing concerns for both the tournament's integrity and the qualifying process. Victor Montagliani, President of Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean), echoed these sentiments last year, suggesting it would harm the "broader football ecosystem." Similarly, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned that further expansion could lead to "chaos."
Proponents of the 64-team format argue it would create a more natural competitive structure, with 16 groups of four teams leading directly into a knockout stage for the top two finishers, eliminating the need for third-placed teams to advance. Infantino himself has championed the idea of providing more opportunities for smaller nations, highlighting the impressive performance of teams like Cape Verde in recent tournaments. Despite initial criticism that additional teams might not be competitive, Cape Verde notably drew with Spain and Uruguay, eventually taking Argentina to extra time in the last 16 before a 3-2 defeat.
Yet, critics contend that such an expansion could devalue the World Cup by diluting the competitive edge. They point to the fact that several nations, including Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan, failed to secure a single point in the group stage of this summer's tournament. An even larger field, they argue, could make it exceedingly rare for top-seeded nations to fail to progress from their groups, potentially diminishing the excitement and jeopardy that characterises the early stages of the competition. The decision ultimately rests with the 37 members of the FIFA Council.