FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that football’s governing body will examine expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams ahead of the 2030 tournament following the success of the newly introduced 48-team format.
The 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first edition to feature 48 nations, and Infantino believes its success has strengthened the case for allowing even more countries to compete on football’s biggest stage.
Speaking to Swiss media outlet Bluewin, the FIFA chief said the proposal would now be assessed by the organisation’s decision-making bodies.
“It is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said. He added that every nation should have the opportunity to dream of qualifying, arguing that expanding participation encourages the development of football around the world.
Infantino pointed to the competitiveness of the 2026 tournament as evidence that football’s global standard continues to improve. He noted that teams from every continent have performed strongly, highlighting the impressive showing by African nations as proof that widening access benefits the sport.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is already set to make history as the first tournament staged across multiple continents. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will serve as the main hosts, while Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will each stage opening matches to mark the centenary of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
An expansion to 64 teams would add another 16 nations to the competition and could significantly alter the tournament’s structure. Reports suggest one possible format would feature 16 groups of four teams, increasing the total number of matches from 104 under the current format to 128.
The idea has also gained support in the United States. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, recently said the country would be capable of hosting an even larger tournament if it successfully bids for the 2038 World Cup.
Giuliani argued that the United States already possesses the stadiums, transport infrastructure and experience required to stage an expanded event, making it well placed to host future editions.
Any proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup would still require formal approval from FIFA’s governing bodies, but Infantino’s latest comments indicate the organisation is prepared to seriously explore another significant change to its flagship tournament.
