FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed the game’s governing body will discuss expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the current tournament concludes.
“Every nation should be allowed to dream of playing on the biggest stage in the sport,” Infantino said.
Infantino explains his reasoning
Infantino was directly asked about the possibility of a 64-team format when he spoke to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport. “This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said, according to ESPN
Gianni Infantino confirmed that FIFA will discuss expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, saying every nation should have the chance to dream of playing at football’s biggest event. https://t.co/HvBTuagd8h
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2026
He further explained the philosophy behind a potential expansion. “When you organise a World Cup, it is important that you organise it for the whole world. Well, it’s not just Europe and South America, it’s the whole world, basically. Every country should dream of playing in the World Cup,” he said.
A Familiar Argument Returns
The concept of a 64-team World Cup was first brought up in March 2025 when South American confederation CONMEBOL proposed the expansion for the 2030 edition, which will be held across six countries on three continents and will be the tournament’s centenary.
But it is not a universally accepted idea, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin having previously pushed back against it.
The current 2026 World Cup, taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, already is the first to have an expanded 48-team field, up from the longstanding 32-team format used from 1998 to 2022. The old set-up had 64 games and the new one could have 128.
No formal decision has been made yet, with FIFA’s relevant committees set to discuss the matter after the 2026 tournament finishes in the coming days.
