A 64-Team World Cup: Who's For It, Who's Against It, and What Would It Look Like?

In a world where bigger is often considered better, FIFA President Gianni Infantino is contemplating the future of the World Cup. This year's tournament, which concludes this weekend in the United States, was the first to feature 48 teams. However, a further expansion to 64 nations for the 2030 World Cup is not off the table.

"This is definitely a question that will be considered and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup ends," Infantino told the Swiss publication Bluewin over the weekend. "When you organize a World Cup, it's important to organize it for the whole world."

Proposals have already been made for the 2030 World Cup to feature 64 teams to mark its centenary, and the door for further expansion remains open. The Athletic analyzes where the World Cup goes from here.

Why is this being discussed now?

The World Cup has become a behemoth, unparalleled by any other sporting event. This year's tournament is projected to generate over $10 billion (£7.4 billion) in revenue, reaching every corner of the globe. Even the Olympic Games now stand in its shadow.

In recent times, FIFA has capitalized on football's growing international popularity, successfully expanding a tournament that featured just 16 teams until 1978 and 24 in 1994. Seven World Cups since then maintained a 32-team format, but the expansion to 48 for this year's event has FIFA wondering if the format could get even bigger.

The past month may have encouraged proponents of expansion. Infantino hailed the first 48-team World Cup as a "huge success," with debutants like Cape Verde holding their own against established powers. The qualification of nine out of ten African teams for the knockout stages was also highlighted as a sign of progress. "Every nation should have the right to dream of participating in the World Cup," Infantino told Bluewin. "If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate, they will lose their incentive to develop."

FIFA will always point to its responsibility to grow the game worldwide, and further expansion, which simultaneously increases its own revenue, is something that will at least be discussed before the next World Cup in 2030. It will be co-hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal (with the first three matches taking place in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay).

However, the timing of Infantino's comments will also draw cynicism. At the end of a week where he and FIFA faced sharp criticism for overturning Folarin Balogun's one-match ban, starting a conversation about an expanded tournament looks like a political move ahead of the organization's presidential election next year. It would be one way to solidify his already immense support.

Who is behind the proposal?

The biggest supporters so far are from CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football. Three of its member associations—Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay—will be among the hosts of the centenary World Cup, and they presented a proposal at a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025 for a one-off expansion to 64 teams.

Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL and a FIFA vice-president, subsequently spoke of his "dream" to see an expanded tournament and met with Infantino at Trump Tower in New York to discuss the matter in September.

The motivation is clear. Under the current plans for 2030, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will each host only one match, with the rest distributed among the main hosts Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. After that, CONMEBOL will not be eligible to host a World Cup until 2042 under FIFA's rules.

An expansion from 48 to 64 teams would allow each of the South American nations to host an entire group, meaning six matches each. It would also open the door for more CONMEBOL teams to participate in 2030—six took part in this year's tournament after Bolivia lost to Iraq in an inter-confederation play-off.

There would be benefits for FIFA as well. An additional 16 teams would extend the organization's reach into more territories, increasing commercial opportunities and viewership. A potential, though far from guaranteed, beneficiary of the expansion would be China, home to the world's second-largest population and economy. The country has qualified for the World Cup only once, in 2002.

How would the new format work?

For now, it's unclear, but the logical step would be 16 groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to a round of 32. This could prove to be a tidier option than the current format, where the eight best third-placed teams progressed, but it would increase the number of matches in the tournament to 128—double the number played in Qatar 2022.

The path to expansion from 32 to 48 teams was not smooth.

The idea of expanding the World Cup format is not new. Initially discussed in 2016, it was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council for the 2026 World Cup the following year. At that time, the hosts had not even been determined, but FIFA announced a format with 16 groups of three, with the top two from each group advancing to a 32-team knockout stage.

This plan ensured that teams would play no more than seven matches within a 32-day tournament, but these intentions did not last long. By 2023, it was decided to change the format to 12 groups of four, increasing the total number of matches from 80 to 104. According to FIFA, eliminating the three-team groups reduces the "risk of collusion" and ensures three matches for each nation. However, the tournament's duration grew to 39 days, sparking discontent among players' unions.

The logistics behind hosting a 64-team event would also be a challenge. Suitable base camps would need to be found for all 64 teams, as well as enough stadiums to accommodate the additional matches.

Who is against the idea?

Many. Critics believe that further expansion risks killing the "goose that lays the golden eggs." More would mean less quality. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin called the proposal a "bad idea" after it caught him by surprise last year. "It's not a good idea for the World Cup itself, nor for our qualifiers," he stated during a UEFA congress.

UEFA is not the only voice of dissent. The President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, has also expressed his opposition, questioning last year where this expansion would end. "Someone might come and ask to increase the number to 132 teams," he said at an AFC conference in April 2025. "Where will it end? It will become chaos."

CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani shares the same sentiment, believing the proposed expansion would be rushed. "It's not a great idea," he said. "They can explore it all they want, but it just doesn't feel right."

Although Cape Verde captured the imagination by holding Spain and Argentina to draws in regular time, other more exotic nations faltered at this year's tournament. Haiti, Iraq, Panama, Uzbekistan, and Jordan lost all three of their matches, suggesting a limit to the talent pool in these countries. Many more lopsided encounters like Germany's 7-1 victory over Curaçao would undoubtedly be bad for business.

The value of scarcity must also be considered. A 64-team tournament would likely feature 96 group stage matches, oversaturating the first two weeks and diluting the spectacle. Maintaining interest would then become a challenge the World Cup has not yet faced.

How likely is this to happen?

It's still unclear. Although three confederations publicly oppose the expansion for 2030, FIFA is not at a stage where the proposal can be dismissed. After all, this is a governing body that once pushed for the World Cup to be held every two years instead of four. Opportunities to increase revenue are always explored.

FIFA still considers this an idea worthy of discussion, effectively sticking to the line outlined by Secretary General Mattias Grafström in May 2025. "All ideas are welcome, but no concrete ideas have been discussed," he said. The 37-member FIFA Council would have to approve the expansion, but there are currently no plans for it to be put to a vote.

Would the promise that this would be a one-off event to mark the World Cup's centenary appease the skeptics? Possibly. But wouldn't a successful 64-team tournament in 2030 convince enough people to continue down this path as the new norm? FIFA must find a balance. Despite the short-term benefits from television and commercial rights, as well as tickets and hospitality, an expanded tournament could also pose a long-term threat to the viability of the most lucrative sporting event.

One man's dream is another man's bad idea.