FIFA President Gianni Infantino Eyes 64-Team World Cup Expansion in 2030

As the 48-team World Cup draws to a close, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed his support for expanding the tournament to 64 teams in 2030. Infantino’s comments come as the first 48-team World Cup nears its conclusion, with the final four teams set to compete in the quarterfinal round.

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Infantino recently spoke with Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, where he discussed the possibility of expanding the World Cup to include 64 teams. According to Infantino, this expansion would allow more nations to participate in the tournament and give smaller countries a chance to improve their teams.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” Infantino said. “You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco, and will feature three first-round matches in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930. Infantino sees this as an opportune time to consider further expansion of the tournament.

However, not everyone is in favor of expanding the World Cup. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and FIFA Vice President have previously expressed their opposition to the idea, citing concerns that it would devalue the years-long World Cup qualifying season and erode the quality of the product on the field once the World Cup kicks off.

“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you,” Čeferin said in 2025. “I think it is a bad idea. It is not a good idea for the World Cup itself and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well.”

Despite the opposition, Infantino remains committed to his vision for a 64-team World Cup in 2030. With the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams in 2026 being a success, Infantino sees no reason why the next iteration cannot be even bigger and better.

“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world—not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world,” Infantino emphasized. “The 2030 World Cup will be a celebration of the beautiful game, and we want to make sure that every nation has a chance to participate and shine.”

Only time will tell if Infantino’s vision for a 64-team World Cup in 2030 will become a reality. However, one thing is certain – the debate surrounding the future of the World Cup is sure to be a hot topic in the coming years.

Key Statistics and Facts

• The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.
• The tournament will feature three first-round matches in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930.
• The 2030 World Cup will be the first to feature 64 teams, if Infantino’s vision becomes a reality.

Quotes from Key Figures

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” Gianni Infantino.

“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you,” Aleksander Čeferin.

“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world—not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world,” Gianni Infantino.