FIFA to Review Proposal for 64-Team 2030 World Cup

FIFA will examine expanding the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament, adding 16 nations to the current 48-team format. The governing body said the proposal will be reviewed by relevant committees after the ongoing tournament. FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Bluewin the idea will be discussed once the current event concludes.

The 2030 World Cup will open with one match each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before moving to Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Under a 64-team format the three South American hosts could each stage a four-team group. " He noted that nine of ten African teams reached the knockout stage compared with five at the previous tournament.

"Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world," Infantino said July 12. The 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States is the first with 48 teams.

Four teams remain in contention as of July 12. The proposal for 64 teams was first advanced by Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso and supported by Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez, who called it a "dream," GB News reported. Germany manager Jurgen Klopp said the expanded field creates more matches for players but acknowledged the appeal of seeing teams from smaller nations compete, according to GB News.