Infantino's 64-team World Cup proposal faces mixed reactions

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has opened the door to a 64-team World Cup, a proposal that has drawn both support and criticism from football confederations. The idea, initially floated by South America's CONMEBOL for the 2030 centenary tournament, would mark a significant expansion from the 48-team format set to debut in 2026.

The push for expansion

Infantino, who has championed growth during his decade-long tenure, argues that more teams would encourage development in smaller nations. "If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving," he said. However, critics note that smaller nations already qualify on merit, citing examples like Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan in recent tournaments.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez formally requested a 64-team tournament in April 2025, aiming to host additional group matches in South America as part of the 2030 World Cup's centenary celebrations. The tournament will primarily be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. Dominguez said the expansion would ensure "nobody on the planet is left out of the party."

Opposition from other confederations

The proposal has faced pushback from other football bodies. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin called it a "bad idea" for both the tournament and qualifying. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani warned it could damage "the broader football ecosystem," while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said further expansion could bring "chaos." Despite this, the final decision rests with the 37-member FIFA Council.

Format and competitive concerns

A 64-team World Cup would feature 16 groups of four, with the top two from each advancing to the knockout stage—eliminating the need for third-place qualifiers. Proponents highlight a cleaner format and more opportunities for emerging nations. Infantino has pointed to Cape Verde's performance at the 2026 World Cup, where they drew with Spain and Uruguay before pushing Argentina to extra time in the round of 16, as evidence that smaller teams can compete.

However, critics argue that adding more teams could reduce competitive intensity. In the 2026 tournament, six teams—Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan—failed to earn a single point. Expanding further might make it even less likely that top seeds like Belgium (2022), Germany (2018), Spain (2014), Italy (2010), or France (2002) would fail to advance from the group stage.

Potential additional qualifiers

Based on 2026 qualifying, the following teams would have entered a 64-team field: Indonesia (FIFA rank 118), Oman (79), United Arab Emirates (68) from Asia; Denmark (21), Italy (12), Poland (36) from Europe; and Honduras (65), Jamaica (71), Suriname (125) from North and Central America. The allocation of extra slots remains a point of contention.

As FIFA weighs the proposal, the debate underscores tensions between inclusivity and maintaining the World Cup's elite status. The 2030 tournament, marking 100 years since the first World Cup in Uruguay, will be a milestone—but whether it will feature 64 teams remains uncertain.