FIFA Considering World Cup With 64 Teams.

Zurich; July 2026: Yesterday (Sunday – 12th July 2026) FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that world football’s 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.

The ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and saw a major expansion as it becomes the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from the previous 32-team format. 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 have asserted to media reporters 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”, the FIFA President added.

According to Global Sports Major ESPN, 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. “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.

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”. If approved, a 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 has already featured 100 matches till the end of the quarter finals.

The 2030 World Cup will be the 100th edition of the prestigious tournament and will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Meanwhile, FIFA have also confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Both bids were uncontested and approved during a virtual FIFA Congress on 11th December 2024 (Wednesday). Along with this, the 2030 centenary matches of FIFA World Cup 2030, will be hosted jointly by Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

The first of these three matches will be played in South America at the stadium where it all began, in Estadio Centenario, Uruguay. Nations present during the FIFA Congress gave their votes by clapping their hands in front of their cameras.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup in a process where FIFA decided to combine the decisions on the 2030 and 2034 tournaments into a single vote. After the official announcement, Saudi Arabia will host the tournament for the first time, indicating their growing

influence in the world of sports. Saudi Arabia’s bid received the highest score by FIFA’s bid evaluation team, 4.2 out of 5.

The 2034 World Cup will mark the first time the expanded 48-team tournament will be held in just a single country, while the 48-team tournament currently being hosted for the first time in this year (2026) edition by three countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Team Maverick.