2030 World Cup: FIFA mulls 64- team format

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said football’s world governing body is considering increasing the number of teams at the 2030 FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64.

The idea comes after the successful expansion of the tournament to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup, which added 16 more nations compared to previous editions.

Speaking about the proposal, Infantino said FIFA will discuss the possibility after the current World Cup ends.

According to him, the World Cup should be an event for the entire world, not just traditional football powers in Europe and South America. He said more countries should have the opportunity to dream of qualifying for the tournament.

Infantino added that expanding the competition would help smaller football nations develop and improve.

“If smaller countries are not given a chance to play at the World Cup, they may have less motivation to invest in and improve their football programmes,” he said.

The World Cup had 32 teams from the 1998 tournament in France until the 2022 edition in Qatar. The competition was expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup, increasing the number of matches to 104.

Infantino described the new format as a success, saying teams from all continents have been competitive. He noted that countries from every continent scored goals and earned points during the tournament.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across six countries on three continents to celebrate the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

South American nations Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host an opening match. The rest of the tournament will be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

If FIFA approves a 64-team tournament, more countries would qualify, making it the biggest World Cup in history. The proposal must still be approved by FIFA’s decision-making bodies before it can be introduced for the 2030 competition.