FIFA considering proposal to expand 2030 World Cup to 64 teams

The World Cup could be set to expand again.

FIFA says it'll review a proposal to increase the number of nations competing at the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams as a one-off to mark the tournament's centenary.

"A proposal to analyze a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5, 2025," a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters.

"The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its council members."

The 2030 World Cup will be primarily played in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. However, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, where the tournament's first edition was staged 100 years ago, will host three games.

The marquee competition already expanded from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

A delegate from Uruguay, Ignacio Alonso, submitted the proposal, which left some FIFA delegates in "stunned silence," according to a report from The Athletic.

One unidentified football official hoped the "maddening" proposal would be "rejected as soon as possible," reports Martyn Ziegler of The Times.

If successful, expanding to 64 teams would result in at least 128 matches at the 2030 World Cup. The 2022 World Cup had 64 contests, and the 2026 tourney will have 104 games.

There are also concerns about the environmental impact and possible logistical challenges that an expanded tournament will have.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino "acknowledged the proposal and said it should be analyzed more closely," The Athletic added.