FIFA is contemplating an unexpected proposal from South America to increase the size of the men’s World Cup 2030 to 64 teams, which is double the size of the 2022 edition held in Qatar.
A proposal to analyze a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the ‘miscellaneous’ agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting.
The governing body of soccer confirmed this the day after the meeting. FIFA stated, “The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its Council members.”
This initiative was put forward by the elected delegate from Uruguay, Ignacio Alonso, according to two sources who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussion.
Uruguay was the original World Cup host — and trophy winner — in 1930 and is scheduled to host one game at the centenary tournament.
The first 48-team tournament will take place next year in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The 2030 World Cup is set to become the most extensive edition yet, with six host nations across three continents.
The South American soccer body, CONMEBOL, agreed in 2023 to a FIFA-backed plan, allowing Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to host one game each to commence the tournament before it transitions to the main co-hosts: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
FIFA has allocated automatic spots in the tournament lineup to all six host nations, a strategic gain for CONMEBOL’s Paraguayan president, Alejandro Dominguez.
Expanding to 64 teams would likely ensure all 10 CONMEBOL member countries have a spot in this larger tournament, with Venezuela being the only country that has never qualified for a World Cup.
Should FIFA approve this 64-team format, it would yield a tournament consisting of 128 games — twice the number of the 64-game, 32-team model used from 1998 to 2022.
Adding these additional teams would allow hundreds more players to participate in the World Cup, amidst ongoing critiques from player unions regarding the continuous expansion of games without member consultation.
However, FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, has shown strong support for expanding the tournament format, as it enhances revenue and increases the chance for more teams to qualify, alluding to the necessity to develop soccer on a global scale.
Major sponsors of the World Cup, including Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Wanda, secured rights to the 2030 World Cup over a decade ago, anticipating a 64-game event.
FIFA has not provided a timeline for reviewing this proposal or making a decision. The next FIFA Congress of 211 member federations is set to take place in Asuncion, Paraguay, in May.
