FIFA president Gianni Infantino has opened the door to further World Cup expansion, saying the proposal for a 64-team tournament will be examined in detail after 2026.
Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport that the success of the expanded 48-team format means the governing body should now look seriously at how a 64-team World Cup could function.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said when pressed on the possibility of further expansion.
He argued that the tournament must be designed to include the broadest possible range of nations, not simply the traditional football powerhouses from Europe and South America.
“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.”
Infantino also pointed to the quality argument, suggesting that denying smaller nations a platform removes the motivation for those countries to continue developing their football programmes.
“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving,” he said, noting that standards are rising globally.
He described the first 48-team World Cup as “a huge success,” citing in particular the progression of nine out of ten African teams to the knockout stages as evidence of football’s growing global depth.
The FIFA Council approved the move from 32 to 48 teams back in 2017, with the expanded format making its debut at the 2026 tournament hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
South American governing body Conmebol formally proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams in April 2025, though no decision has been reached on that suggestion.
Opposition to further expansion remains significant among football’s major governing bodies, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin calling the idea a “bad idea” for both the tournament and the qualifying process.
Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also pushed back, warning that further expansion would bring “chaos” to international football.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani added that the suggestion “doesn’t feel right” and expressed concern it would damage “the broader football ecosystem.”
However, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, said the United States could consider bidding for the 2038 World Cup and could “handle it” if the tournament were expanded to 64 teams.
A 64-team World Cup would present enormous logistical challenges for host nations, with 128 matches required compared to the current format, raising serious questions about whether future hosts such as Saudi Arabia in 2034 could cope.
The FIFA Council would ultimately make any decision on expansion, though there are currently no signs such a ruling is expected imminently.
