Fifa president Gianni Infantino has hinted at expanding the World Cup to 64 teams before the 2030 event, calling the current 48-team tournament a “huge success.” In an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said growing the field by another 16 teams “makes sense” and will be discussed by relevant committees after this World Cup.
Infantino advocates for global inclusion
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said. “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.” He emphasised that every nation should have the chance to dream of participating, adding: “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.”
Current format and success
The World Cup field was 32 teams from 1998 to 2022. The 2026 edition is the first with 48 teams, featuring 104 matches. Two semi-finals, a third-place playoff and the final remain. Infantino said every team played at a high level, with teams from every continent scoring goals and earning at least one point. He noted that nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage, compared to only five African teams at the last World Cup. “That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate,” he said.
2030 multi-continent tournament
The 2030 World Cup will be a multi-continent effort, with the first three matches scheduled in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – one per country – and the remaining games in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. An expansion to 64 teams could allow each South American nation to host a full four-team group instead of just one match.
