In brief
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that the success of the expanded 48‑team World Cup in 2026 should prompt a review of a potential 64‑team format. He insists the tournament must be open to all nations, highlighting the rise of African teams in recent majors. While the idea of 64 teams has drawn criticism from UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF leaders – who warn of logistical chaos – the proposal remains on the table and will be reassessed once the 2026 competition concludes. The debate touches on the practical strains of multi‑nation hosting, whether Saudi Arabia could manage a 64‑team format in 2034, and the potential economic benefits for FIFA‑affiliated associations.
By Alex Brotherton – BBC Sport journalist
FIFA’s top officer, Gianni Infantino, said on Thursday that the next major international football event should be big enough to bring the entire world into the spotlight. The expanded 48‑team World Cup slated for 2026 was a groundbreaking experiment – and Infantino wants the lessons from that tournament to feed into a new proposal that could raise the total number of teams to 64.
48 teams proved the formula works
In 2026, the tournament will see 48 clubs from 32 associations take part, a move that has already yielded a remarkable surge in African representation. “We had nine out of ten African teams advance to the knockout stages,” Infantino said, underscoring that the expansion “has a huge success.” The focus on providing a platform for smaller footballing nations aligns with the president’s original ambition of opening the World Cup to more participants beyond the traditional 32‑team format.
The 64‑team proposal and its critics
A formal note from South America’s Conmebol in April 2025 suggested a 64‑team World Cup in 2030, with the event set to be divided among Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. However, the string of protests from the rest of the football community booked a stalemate: UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin called the idea a “bad idea,” the AFC’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned it would wilt “into chaos,” and Concacaf’s Victor Montagliani dismissed the proposal as “doesn’t feel right.”
A fringe voice came from Washington, where Andrew Giuliani said the US might bid for the 2038 tournament and could “handle it” if the size grew. Nonetheless, the FIFA council remains the authority to decide, and there is no sign that a 64‑team event is imminent.
When expansion is bigger, domestic venues suffer
Infantino explained that as the number of competing teams rises, the logistical burden to host increases exponentially. “The bigger the World Cup becomes, the more challenging it is to host,” he said. The 2026 tournament will already straddle three nations across a starkly large area, and the 2030 version will feature six host countries. “Forty‑something fans, 128 games in 2034 in Saudi Arabia would be the real test of this idea,” Infantino mused.
Despite the structural complexities, a 64‑team format could ultimately serve two purposes: giving a larger slice of the world a chance to dream in the big tournament and distributing increased revenue to the wider FIFA membership.
Looking ahead
Infantino said the World Cup committee would evaluate the proposal after 2026, ensuring the global football community is ready for the next step. Sports pundits and national federations will continue to weigh the benefits and burdens of such an expansion, but the president’s confidence shows the conversation is far from over.
