FIFA President Gianni Infantino Suggests World Cup Might Grow to 64 Teams

World Cup May Grow Beyond 48 Teams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marked a new high with 48 teams competing, surpassing the previous 32-team format. Yet, this might not be the final expansion. FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently hinted that the tournament could expand even more after this edition wraps up.

Expansion Talks Underway

In an interview with Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino was questioned about increasing the number of teams to 64. He didn’t dismiss the idea and mentioned discussions will take place in FIFA’s relevant committees following the current World Cup.

“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.”

He added that football quality is improving worldwide and smaller nations deserve chances to participate, as it motivates them to keep developing.

Calls From South America for Bigger Tournaments

Back in March 2025, CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, proposed expanding to 64 teams for the 2030 World Cup, which will celebrate 100 years of the tournament.

“We believe in a historic 2030 World Cup. We want to call for unity, creativity and believing big. Because when football is shared by everyone, the celebration is truly global,”

said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez.

What Would 64 Teams Mean?

A jump to 64 teams would increase matches significantly. The traditional 32-team format held from 1998 to 2022 featured 64 games total. This year’s tournament, with 48 teams, has 104 matches. A 64-team event would have 128 games.

One clear advantage lies in the knockout stage setup. Currently, some third-place teams advance after the group stage through tiebreakers, which complicates the process. With 64 teams, no third-place team would move forward, streamlining qualification to the knockouts.