Fifa president Gianni Infantino has opened the door to a 64-team men's World Cup, saying the tournament must be "for the whole world" and that every nation should be allowed to dream of participating. The proposal, first put forward last year by South American governing body Conmebol in April 2025, will be assessed in detail after the 2026 tournament, which itself has been expanded to 48 teams.
Infantino, speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, argued that the success of the first 48-team World Cup – citing the progression of nine out of 10 African teams to the knockout stages – shows that expansion works. "At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa," he said. "That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate." He added that the quality of teams worldwide is "extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher".
“Fifa boss Gianni Infantino says a 64-team World Cup is under consideration after the 2026 tournament.”
The 2030 edition, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with opening matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, would be the first to potentially expand to 64 teams under the Conmebol proposal. But opposition is already mounting. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin called it a "bad idea" for the tournament and the qualifying process. Asian Football Confederation chief Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned further expansion would bring "chaos". Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, said it "doesn't feel right" and would damage "the broader football ecosystem".
Despite the resistance, the United States has expressed interest. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, said the US could consider a bid for the 2038 tournament and would be able to "handle it" even at 64 teams. Fifa's official position is that any expansion ideas will be discussed with stakeholders.
The 2026 World Cup, meanwhile, will feature top-rated midfielders including England's Jude Bellingham, according to a ranking of the tournament's 10 highest-rated midfielders. Infantino's vision of a truly global tournament will be tested against the practical concerns of football's governing bodies.