A formal push to expand the World Cup to 64 teams is now on the table, but it is a long way from becoming reality. A delegation of South American soccer officials met at FIFA headquarters in New York on Tuesday to make their pitch to soccer’s governing body.
The 2030 tournament marks the 100th anniversary of the World Cup and will be held across the largest geographic area in tournament history. Six countries on three continents will host games.
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Where will the 2030 World Cup be played?
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will host the first three matches in tribute to the competition’s beginnings in South America in 1930. The rest of the tournament will then move to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Expansion to 64 teams would likely lead to more matches being played in South America and allow for all 10 teams in CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body, to qualify for the event.
Alejandro Domínguez, the president of CONMEBOL, wants to celebrate the 100th anniversary with a one-time-only expansion. He posted a message on Instagram, which included a quote from the meeting with FIFA, according to The Athletic.
“It cannot pass by as just another event; it cannot be a normal World Cup. We see this as a once-in-a-100-year opportunity,” Domínguez said.
The World Cup has grown significantly in recent decades, increasing from 16 to 24 teams in 1982, then expanding to 32 teams in 1998. The 2026 tournament expanded to 48 teams and a record 104 total matches and will kick off in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada next summer.
What are expansion critics saying?
Critics say expansion will water down the competition during the tournament, in addition to the qualifying criteria and matches leading up to the event. There are also significant travel and logistical challenges when expanding from 104 matches to 128. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin didn’t pull any punches when asked for his opinion in April.
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The 2026 World Cup, held next summer in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, will feature a record 48 teams and 104 total matches.
“This proposal was maybe more surprising for me than for you,” Čeferin said. “I think it’s a bad idea. I think it’s not a good idea for the World Cup itself, and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well.”
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that despite the latest meeting, FIFA has no plans to expand, and it is duty-bound to consider any proposal raised.
A source told the website, “Gianni would not get that vote through the Council even if he wanted to. The overwhelming feeling around the table – and not just in Europe – is that 64 teams would damage the World Cup. There’d be too many uncompetitive matches and it would risk damaging the business model.”
Any decision to expand in 2030 would need to be formally discussed by the FIFA Council, which meets in Zurich next month. The Guardian reports the expansion topic is not yet on the council agenda.
