FIFA President Gianni Infantino smiles as he watches the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal between Norway and England in Miami, Florida, on Sunday. [Reuters]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino smiles as he watches the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal between Norway and England in Miami, Florida, on Sunday. [Reuters]

Buoyed by the success of the expanded 48-team format, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he intends to actively pursue further expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams starting with the 2030 edition.

Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport on Monday, Infantino said the prospect of a 64-team World Cup is "something that will certainly be discussed through the relevant committees once this North American tournament is over."

Infantino particularly highlighted the performance of African sides at the current tournament — the first held under the 48-team format — noting that nine of the 10 African teams advanced to the knockout rounds. "It's a remarkable success," he said. "At the previous tournament there were only five African teams. This is proof of how important it is to be inclusive and give every team the opportunity to participate."

"We are seeing that the level of participating teams from around the world is very high and keeps improving," he said. "If smaller nations don't get the chance to play in the World Cup, they lose the motivation to develop."

Expanding the field to 64 teams would bring the total number of matches at a single tournament to 128 — double the figure under the 32-team format that was in place through the 2022 edition.

Earlier, in March last year, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup — which marks the tournament's 100th anniversary — to 64 teams.

The 2030 edition is set to be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three opening matches to be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the centenary.

The CONMEBOL proposal, however, drew opposition from the European, Asian and CONCACAF confederations. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin was quick to dismiss it, saying: "It's a bad idea. I was really surprised, and I think it's out of the question."

By contrast, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, indicated that the United States could consider bidding for the 2038 World Cup and said the country could "absolutely handle" an expanded 64-team field.


yjc@heraldcorp.com