FIFA's next big move? Gianni Infantino opens door to a 64-team World Cup. Everything you need to know

FIFA will examine proposals to expand the men's FIFA World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, with President Gianni Infantino insisting the competition should be accessible to nations from every region of the world. The proposal for a 64-team World Cup was first raised last year, and Infantino believes the success of the expanded 48-team format provides an opportunity to assess whether another increase is feasible.

"That's definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup," Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of expanding the tournament. "When organising a World Cup, it's important to organize it for the whole world - not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. 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. If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving."

Infantino described the first 48-team World Cup as a major success, highlighting the improved representation of African nations.

“At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams - to give them this opportunity to participate.” FIFA officially approved the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in 2017, with the new format debuting at the 2026 World Cup. An official proposal to increase the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was submitted by South American football body CONMEBOL in April 2025. However, FIFA has yet to make a decision.

Also Read: Wimbledon 2026: Jannik Sinner beats Alexander Zverev to clinch second consecutive title

The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will stage the opening matches as part of celebrations marking the tournament's centenary. Despite growing discussion around expansion, several influential football leaders have voiced their opposition. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has described the proposal as a ‘bad idea’, arguing it would negatively impact both the tournament and the qualification process.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also warned that any further expansion could create 'chaos'. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani questioned the proposal, saying it 'doesn't feel right' and warning it could damage ‘the broader football ecosystem’. Meanwhile, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup Task Force, said the United States could consider bidding to host the 2038 World Cup and would be capable of staging a 64-team tournament if approved.

FIFA has maintained that it is obligated to review any formal proposals submitted by council members and will continue consulting stakeholders before making a decision. The FIFA Council will ultimately decide whether to expand the competition, although there is currently no indication that a decision will be made in the immediate future.

Expansion presents major hosting challenges

Since taking office in 2016, Infantino has consistently supported expanding the World Cup. His original proposal called for increasing the tournament from 32 to 40 teams before FIFA ultimately approved the larger 48-team format, which debuted in 2026. Hosting an even larger competition presents significant logistical challenges.

The 2026 World Cup is staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the 2030 edition will span across three continents. Questions also remain over whether Saudi Arabia, the planned host of the 2034 World Cup, could successfully stage a 64-team tournament featuring 128 matches.

Supporters of expansion argue that it would allow nearly one-third of FIFA's 211 member associations to qualify for the World Cup, giving more nations the opportunity to compete on football's biggest stage. A larger tournament would also generate additional commercial revenue, increasing the financial distributions available to FIFA's member associations worldwide.