FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signalled that football’s governing body will assess the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the successful staging of the first 48-team tournament.
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino said FIFA’s priority is to make the World Cup a truly global competition by giving more countries the opportunity to qualify.
“We will examine all these issues after the World Cup,” he said when asked about the prospect of a 64-team tournament.
“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world, not just Europe and South America, but the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
According to Infantino, expanding the tournament would encourage the development of football in smaller nations by giving them a realistic pathway to the global stage.
“The quality of teams is improving all over the world. If smaller countries are denied the opportunity to qualify, they lose the incentive to keep improving,” he added.
Infantino described the inaugural 48-team World Cup as a major success, pointing to the strong performances by African teams. He noted that nine of the 10 African representatives progressed to the knockout rounds, compared with just five African participants under the previous 32-team format.
The World Cup was expanded from 32 to 48 teams after FIFA Council approval in 2017, with the new format making its debut at the 2026 tournament.
Calls for a further expansion gained momentum in April 2025 when South American football body CONMEBOL formally proposed increasing the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams. FIFA has yet to make a decision.
The 2030 tournament will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will stage the opening matches to mark the competition’s centenary.
Despite Infantino’s openness to further expansion, the proposal has met strong opposition from several football administrators.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has described the idea as “a bad idea” for both the tournament and the qualification process.
Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned that another expansion could create “chaos,” while CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani argued that it “doesn’t feel right” and could harm the broader football ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, said the United States could bid to host the 2038 tournament and would be capable of staging a 64-team event if approved.
A larger tournament would significantly increase the demands on host nations.
The 2026 World Cup is being staged across three countries, while the 2030 edition will span six host nations. Expanding to 64 teams would likely increase the tournament to 128 matches, raising questions about infrastructure, travel logistics and scheduling, particularly for future hosts such as Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 World Cup.
FIFA maintains that it is obligated to consider proposals submitted by its member associations and will continue consulting stakeholders before any decision is made.
While no immediate move towards a 64-team World Cup is expected, Infantino’s comments suggest the debate over the future size of football’s biggest tournament is far from over.
