FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the governing body will discuss the possibility of expanding the men’s FIFA World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 edition, saying every nation should have the opportunity to dream of competing on football’s biggest stage, according to ESPN.
The current tournament, co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has already introduced a historic expansion by growing from the traditional 32-team setup to a 48-team roster.
“This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” FIFA’s president told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of a 64-team tournament.
“When you organise a World Cup, it’s important that you organise it for the whole world. It’s not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup,” he added.
According to ESPN, the prospect of a 64-team FIFA World Cup first emerged in March 2025, when South American confederation CONMEBOL proposed expanding the 2030 tournament, which will mark the competition’s centenary. Infantino argued that broadening the tournament structure prevents developing football nations from stagnating.
“We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don’t give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving,” he added.
65-team World Cup still under discussion
In April 2025, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani told ESPN, “I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues and players.”
A 64-team framework would escalate the schedule to 128 matches, doubling the inventory of the older 32-team model and surpassing the 104 matches scheduled for the current edition.
Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final line-up has been confirmed, with England and Argentina overcoming tough quarter-final tests to join France and Spain in the last four of the tournament. The winner of the France-Spain semi-final will face either favourites England or Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The two losing semi-finalists will contest the third-place playoff.
(With inputs from ANI)
