Infantino: FIFA to discuss 64-team World Cup expansion
SkimNews Take
By pre-emptively flagging another expansion review before the 48-team format has even debuted, FIFA signals that format growth is becoming the institutional default rather than a discrete decision each cycle.
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- Gianni Infantino confirmed FIFA will discuss expanding the men's World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, telling Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport the issue "will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees" and that "every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup."
- CONMEBOL first proposed the 64-team expansion in March 2025 for the 2030 centenary tournament, and its president Alejandro Domínguez met Infantino in New York in September alongside the football association presidents of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
- Concacaf president Victor Montagliani told ESPN in April 2025 that expanding to 64 teams is "not the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues and players."
- UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has previously described the 64-team proposal as "a bad idea."
- The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is the first to feature 48 teams, having expanded from the 32-team format used from 1998 to 2022.
- A 64-team World Cup would feature 128 matches — double the 64 played under the 32-team era — compared with 104 matches scheduled for the upcoming 2026 tournament.
Why it matters: Expanding to 64 teams would double the World Cup's match count to 128 games, up from 64 under the 32-team era (1998-2022) and 104 in 2026 — a massive jump in host burden and broadcast inventory. But UEFA's Čeferin and Concacaf's Montagliani have both gone on record against the move, meaning Infantino faces entrenched opposition from two of FIFA's six continental confederations before formal talks even begin.
