Confirmed: FIFA considering expanding World Cup to 64 teams for 2030 edition

News

Matthew Judge | Editor

Gianni Infantino has confirmed FIFA will consider the merits of expanding the men's World Cup to 64 teams ahead of the 2030 edition.

FIFA’s flagship tournament was expanded to 48 teams for this summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The 2026 finals have been a rousing success in North America, with many hailing the competition as one of the greatest in history.

And now Infantino has said FIFA will examine whether to include another 16 nations ahead of the 2030 iteration.

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the opening three matches taking place in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

In quotes carried by The Athletic, via Swiss publication Bluewin, FIFA’s president said: “It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high—and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.

“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

United States could 'handle' expansion to 64 teams

The news comes after the United States teased the possibility of making a bid to host the men's 2038 World Cup, with the executive director of the White House's World Cup task force saying the country could “handle” its possible expansion to 64 teams.

In quotes carried by BBC Sport, Andrew Giuliani - who US president Donald Trump named executive director of the presidential task force for the 2026 World Cup in May 2025 - said: “When you think that this World Cup may at some point expand out to 64 teams, I think the United States can handle it.

“Let me make sure we get through this World Cup on 19 July before we make our pitch for 2038 or other ones.

“There's no better country that's positioned to host a World Cup than the United States, and I think we're seeing that on social media. I think we're seeing that with all the fans that may be interacting with the US for the first time, or the first time in a long time, that the US truly is extremely welcoming, that we have such an incredible infrastructure.

“We have the stadiums built, so for the US, compared to other host nations, where it costs tens and tens of billions of dollars, you know, it cost us a couple of billion.”

The 2034 men's World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Attentions turn to 2026 World Cup semi-final stage

France, Spain, England and Argentina are all vying for a place in the 2026 World Cup final after advancing through the quarter-final stage.

Two-time winners France downed Morocco 2-0 on Thursday thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, while a late strike from Mikel Merino helped Spain edge past Belgium 2-1 on Friday.

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham scored twice as England defeated Norway 2-1 after extra time, while Argentina also required extra time to put ten-man Switzerland to the sword in a 3-1 victory.

France will face Spain in their blockbuster semi-final in Arlington next Tuesday, while England and Argentina will lock horns in Atlanta 24 hours later.

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