The 2030 FIFA World Cup could make history with an unprecedented expansion. FIFA is considering expanding the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams as a one-off to commemorate the 100th anniversary.
2030 FIFA World Cup:
The football governing body FIFA is to consider expanding the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams to mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary of the sport’s marquee event, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The idea was proposed by Ignacio Alonso, a FIFA Council member from Uruguay, and while no official decision has been made, Gianni Infantino, the organization’s president, described it as “interesting.”
The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games. However, the new proposal would take the competition to a whole new level, not only increasing the number of teams but also the total matches and logistical complexity of the event.
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The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year’s edition in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Expanding to 64 teams would mean a jump from 104 to 128 matches, presenting significant challenges in terms of organization, infrastructure, and sustainability.
A Fifa spokesperson told the Guardian it had a duty to consider all requests from council members: “A proposal to analyze a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the ‘miscellaneous’ agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5, 2025.”
“The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its Council members,” FIFA said about the remote online meeting.
At a general meeting held by video conference on Wednesday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino enthusiastically backed the expansion of its tournament portfolio, which would increase revenue and allow more teams to qualify, citing the need to develop football globally.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup featured 32 teams, and the upcoming 2026 edition in North America will see that number increase to 48.
Uruguayan representative Ignacio Alonso abandoned the bombastic proposal – reading a carefully worded speech in English.
The newspaper, which did not name its sources, said the proposal was met with a ‘shocked silence’ from participants.