FIFA officials are contemplating an increase in the World Cup format to include 64 teams as early as the 2030 tournament, according to remarks made by Gianni Infantino. In an interview with Bluewin, a Swiss media outlet, the FIFA president indicated that such an expansion could be beneficial.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino stated. He emphasized the importance of organizing a World Cup that represents not just Europe and South America, but the entire globe.
“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America – but effectively the entire world. “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.”
Success of the 48-Team Format
The World Cup has featured 32 teams from 1998 until 2022, with the upcoming 2026 edition marking the first instance of a 48-team format. Infantino described the current format as a “Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate.” noting, “Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate.”
2030 Multi-Continent Tournament Plans
The 2030 World Cup is set to be a multi-nation event, with the initial three matches planned to take place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, featuring one match in each country. The remaining matches are scheduled for Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. An increase to 64 teams could allow for each South American host nation to accommodate a four-team group rather than just a single match.
