FIFA Considers Expanding 2030 World Cup to 64 Teams

During a recent session of the FIFA Council, Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Federation and member of the Council, proposed to increase the number of participants to 64 for the centenary edition of the World Cup.

This proposal was made at the end of the meeting, during a session dedicated to miscellaneous questions. According to sources from The New York Times and the Reuters agency, the proposal was met with silence in the assembly.

FIFA is required to examine any proposal submitted by a member of its Council. The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, would have described the proposal as "interesting".

The 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will already welcome 48 teams, an expansion compared to the 32 teams of previous editions. The 2030 World Cup, on the other hand, is planned in six countries: Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Ignacio Alonso justified his proposal by invoking the desire "to allow the competition to 64 teams to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup." The feasibility and implications of such an expansion remain to be determined.