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What is FIFA's 64-team World Cup proposal? Gianni Infantino confirms 2030 expansion talks
FIFA is preparing to discuss a major World Cup change, and the outcome could reshape international football in 2030.
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The FIFA World Cup may be set for another major change. Just one year after expanding the tournament to 48 teams, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that football’s governing body will discuss a proposal to increase the field to 64 nations for the 2030 World Cup.
Supporters of the idea believe it would give more countries a chance to play on the biggest stage, while critics argue it could make qualification less challenging and affect the overall quality of the tournament. Speaking to Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said the proposal will be reviewed by FIFA’s committees after the 2026 World Cup, which he described as a success.
What is FIFA’s proposed 64-team World Cup format?
The proposal would expand the World Cup from 48 teams to 64 teams, adding 16 more nations to the competition. The tournament had 32 teams from 1998 through 2022 before FIFA increased the number to 48 for the 2026 edition. If the latest proposal is approved, the 2030 World Cup would become the largest in the tournament’s history.
Here’s how the competition has changed over the years:
World Cup edition | Number of teams |
| 1998-2022 | 32 |
| 2026 | 48 |
| Proposed for 2030 | 64 |
A 64-team tournament would mean more than a quarter of FIFA’s 210 member nations could qualify for the World Cup.
What did FIFA president say about the 64-team World Cup?
Infantino confirmed that FIFA is ready to discuss the idea after the current World Cup cycle. “It is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” he told Bluewin.
The FIFA president also defended the idea of giving more countries a chance to participate. “The World Cup is for the whole world, not just Europe and South America,” Infantino said.
He added: “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.”
For Infantino, his idea of expansion is about creating opportunities for nations that rarely get the chance to compete at a World Cup.
Football leaders divided over FIFA expansion
Not everyone is convinced that a bigger tournament is the right move. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has previously called the idea of a 64-team World Cup a “bad idea.” CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has also expressed concerns, saying it is “not a great idea.”
Critics believe adding more teams could reduce the challenge of qualifying for the tournament and lead to more uneven matches. The discussion comes as preparations continue for the 2030 World Cup, which will be held across six countries and three continents.
Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host one match, while Morocco, Portugal and Spain will stage the majority of the tournament.
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No final decision has been made yet. However, with Infantino confirming that FIFA will formally examine the proposal, the possibility of a 64-team World Cup is now firmly on the agenda.
