The confetti had barely stopped falling in New York after Spain’s fiery final victory over Argentina – a game that crowned them world champions and brought the curtain down on the biggest World Cup ever. But within hours, attention had already shifted to the 2030 centenary tournament, and what appeared to be a seismic change.
CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez seemed to confirm that the 2030 World Cup will expand to 64 teams, despite no official word from FIFA. The head of South America’s answer to UEFA took to X not long after Spain’s triumph and wrote: “The next one is played at home! In 2030, the World Cup comes to Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, a great opportunity for soccer, to celebrate the Centenary of the World Cup with a competition featuring 64 teams.”
“CONMEBOL president claims 2030 World Cup will have 64 teams, days after Spain's 2026 win.”
His language on Saturday was decidedly more certain than just a day earlier, when he posted before the final: “In 2030, we’ll see you at home with the dream of playing it with 64 teams.” That choice of “dream” suggested it remained a consideration, mirroring the cautious tone struck by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Infantino had opened the door to another expansion while the 2026 tournament – the first with 48 teams – was still under way. “These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” he told Blue Sport. “Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
The 2030 edition is already unique: mainly hosted by Spain, Morocco and Paraguay, but with fixtures also in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the centenary. If Dominguez’s claim proves accurate, the tournament will dwarf even the record-setting 2026 version, which the BBC described as featuring “all the highs, lows and colour from the biggest World Cup ever” in a closing montage.
The expansion would let more nations than ever dream of taking part – but whether FIFA makes it official remains an open question.