FIFA plans for 64-team WC despite backlash
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- FIFA distributed a five-page research brief on July 30 opening a 15-day consultation on expanding the men's World Cup from 48 to 64 teams starting with the 2030 edition, with a decision targeted for Aug. 14 and full analysis due Sept. 11.
- The Aug. 14 deadline falls one month before Gianni Infantino's deadline for 211 member associations to green-light his $20 billion FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) sell-off plan, which has been condemned by UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation.
- Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser, resigned on Friday and called the FFE proposal "a bad deal for football," compounding the pressure on the FIFA president.
- The investor group earmarked to lead the FFE stake sale is Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner — brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner — a detail that has fueled political optics around the deal.
- UEFA has gone further than its confederation peers, announcing an intent to boycott FIFA competitions until the FFE project is scrapped, while the AFC demanded an "urgent review" of FIFA's governance framework.
- The 2026 men's World Cup, won by Spain earlier this month, was the first 48-team tournament; a 64-team expansion had previously been rejected privately by senior FIFA figures, underscoring how rapidly Infantino is now moving to reverse course.
Why it matters: Infantino is pushing a 64-team expansion on a 15-day timeline while his $20 billion FFE sell-off collapses around him — three major confederations have rejected it, his senior adviser has resigned, and UEFA is threatening to boycott FIFA competitions. With Infantino previously expected to sail through an unopposed 2027 reelection, the simultaneous timing of the expansion consultation and the FFE deadline signals he is forcing a fait accompli before opponents can coalesce — and the AFC's call for a governance review shows the institutional resistance is now public and on the record.
