FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that world football’s governing body will examine a proposal to expand the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament.
The move would represent another major change to football’s biggest international competition, which has already expanded from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 World Cup being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said the proposal would be reviewed by FIFA’s relevant decision-making committees after the current tournament.
“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.
The FIFA president stressed that the World Cup must continue to represent football’s global reach, insisting the tournament should not be limited to the traditional powerhouses of the sport.
“It is for the whole world, not just Europe and South America,” he said.
Infantino argued that increasing participation would give more nations the opportunity to compete on football’s biggest stage and encourage further development of the game worldwide.
“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.”
Infantino also backed the current 48-team World Cup format, describing its introduction as a success despite criticism from some sections of the football community.
He called the expansion 100 percent a success, rejecting concerns that increasing the number of participating teams had reduced the quality of the tournament.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz was among those who criticised the expanded format earlier in the competition, arguing that more teams could weaken the significance of qualification.
The idea of a 64-team World Cup first gained attention after Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso proposed the expansion during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025.
The proposal later received backing from CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez, who described it as his “dream” and said it would “unite the world, just once”.
The 2030 World Cup already carries historic significance, with the tournament scheduled to take place across six countries on three continents.
Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host an opening match to mark the centenary of the first World Cup, while Morocco, Portugal and Spain will stage the remainder of the competition.
Supporters of the 64-team proposal believe the larger format would allow the South American hosts to stage more matches, including potentially hosting entire groups rather than just ceremonial opening fixtures.
Despite the support, the proposal has also attracted criticism from some football leaders.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin previously described the idea as a “bad idea”, warning that another expansion could affect the quality of both the World Cup and European qualifying competitions.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has also voiced concerns, calling the proposal “not a great idea.”
Infantino also revealed that he has remained in regular contact with U.S. President Donald Trump throughout the 2026 World Cup.
According to the FIFA president, Trump has followed the tournament closely and is expected to present the trophy to the winners after the final, as previously announced.
France captain Kylian Mbappe has moved ahead of Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the race for the adidas Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite both players being level on eight goals after the quarter-finals.
Mbappe reclaimed top spot after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco.
(The Whistler)
