FIFA are considering expanding the 2030 World Cup even more, according to President Gianni Infantino ahead of 2026 edition semifinals.
Published: July 13, 2026, 11:50 AM IST
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino attending FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. (Photo: IANS)
If you thought FIFA World Cup 2026 was humongous, the world’s premier football event is set to get even bigger. The FIFA World Cup 2026 was the biggest-ever event in the history of the tournament with 48 teams competing and a Round of 32 introduced for the first-ever time. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino has suggested that the 2030 tournament could feature 16 more teams or 64 in total in 4 years time.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and saw a major expansion with first-ever edition to feature 48 teams, up from the previous 32-team format in 2022 in Qatar. Infantino said FIFA would hold discussions on a further expansion to 64 teams following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament.
“This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” FIFA’s president Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, when asked about the possibility of a 64-team tournament.
“When you organize a World Cup, it’s important that you organize 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,” the FIFA President added.
According to ESPN website, the prospect of a 64-team World Cup first emerged in March 2025, when South American confederation CONMEBOL proposed expanding the 2030 tournament, which will mark the competition’s centenary or 100 years. “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,” Infantino feels.
In April 2025, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani told ESPN website, “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.”
How many matches with FIFA World Cup 2030 with 64 teams?
If approved by FIFA, the 64-team World Cup would feature 128 matches, double the number played under the 32-team format used from 1998 to 2022. This year’s tournament will feature 104 matches.
The 2030 World Cup will be a first-ever multi-continent event. The first three matches are scheduled to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – one per country – with the remaining games in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams could mean that the South American nations each could host one four-team group, rather than one match each.
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 England or Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, scheduled to kick off at 12.30 AM IST on July 20. The two losing semi-finalists will contest the third-place playoff on Saturday.
