FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the football governing body will consider expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, a move aimed at giving more nations the opportunity to compete on the global stage.
Speaking in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said the proposal would be reviewed by FIFA’s relevant decision-making committees ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay set to stage opening matches as part of the tournament’s centenary celebrations.
“It is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.
The 2026 World Cup, scheduled to take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition to feature 48 teams, expanding from the traditional 32-team format used from 1998 to 2022. A further increase to 64 teams would add 16 more nations to football’s biggest tournament.
Infantino believes the expansion would better reflect the worldwide growth of football and provide more countries with the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
“The World Cup is for the whole world, not just Europe and South America. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he said.
He added that the rising quality of teams across different regions shows that more countries deserve a chance to be part of the competition.
“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,” Infantino added.
The idea of expanding the 2030 tournament was initially proposed by the South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, during the 76th FIFA Congress held in Canada in April 2026.
CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez argued that the centenary edition of the World Cup should be celebrated with greater global inclusion.
“We are convinced that the centennial celebration will be unique because 100 years are celebrated only once,” Domínguez said, adding that an expanded tournament would allow more nations to experience the World Cup.
However, the proposal has attracted mixed reactions. Supporters believe a larger World Cup would encourage football development in emerging nations and create more opportunities for teams outside the traditional football powers.
Critics, meanwhile, have raised concerns that expanding to 64 teams could affect the quality of matches and place additional strain on an already demanding international football calendar.
FIFA will now assess the proposal before any decision is made on whether the 2030 World Cup will feature an expanded format.
