FIFA will examine a possible 64-team World Cup for 2030 after the 2026 tournament concludes, President Gianni Infantino said in an interview published by Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport.
Infantino called the first 48-team World Cup a success and said FIFA’s relevant committees would discuss adding another 16 nations. He stressed that no decision had yet been made.
The FIFA president argued that more countries should have the opportunity to qualify. He said participation gives smaller football nations an incentive to improve and described the standard of teams across the world as increasingly competitive.
FIFA has neither approved a 64-team format nor announced how qualification, groups or the knockout stage would operate. The 2026 tournament is the first men’s World Cup to feature 48 teams, up from 32.
Union of European Football Associations President Aleksander Čeferin opposed the proposal when FIFA first agreed to study it in 2025. Čeferin called a 64-team tournament a “bad idea” for both the World Cup and European qualifying competitions.
Morocco, Portugal and Spain will serve as the principal hosts of the 2030 centenary tournament. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each stage one celebratory match in South America.
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Any expansion would require approval through FIFA’s governing processes before the tournament format and qualification allocations could be changed.
