Before the 2026 World Cup has crowned its champion, Gianni Infantino is already asking how much larger football’s biggest tournament can become.
The 1st 48 team edition has produced a 104 match schedule, major upsets, and a breakthrough tournament for African football. Nine of the continent’s 10 representatives reached the knockout stage. Morocco eliminated the Netherlands and Canada before France stopped its run in the quarterfinals. Cape Verde pushed defending champion Argentina through extra time before losing 3 to 2.
In an interview with Swiss outlet Bluewin, Infantino called the expanded tournament a huge success. He also confirmed that FIFA’s relevant committees would examine a possible increase to 64 nations after the current competition ends.
Approval would double the field used from 1998 through 2022 within only 8 years. It could also turn an already complex centenary tournament into a 128 match event spread across 6 countries and 3 continents.
Africa Turned Wider Access Into Sporting Evidence
The strongest argument for expansion came from the pitch rather than a committee room.
Africa entered the tournament with 10 places, twice its allocation from 2022. Cape Verde, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco, and South Africa advanced as group runners up. Algeria, DR Congo, Ghana, and Senegal progressed among the best teams, finishing 3rd. Only Tunisia failed to reach the knockout stage.
Several nations then proved that qualification was not the limit of their ambition.
Egypt secured its 1st World Cup knockout victory by beating Australia 4 to 2 on penalties after a 1 to 1 draw. Morocco defeated the Netherlands on penalties, then beat Canada 3 to 0 to reach the quarterfinals. Cape Verde, competing at its debut finals, forced Argentina through 120 minutes before losing by a single goal.
Those were not ceremonial appearances granted by an inflated format. African teams placed established opponents under pressure and forced several favourites into difficult elimination matches.
Infantino can now argue that wider access creates development, confidence, and genuine competitive opportunity. The results support FIFA’s decision to move from 32 teams to 48.
They do not automatically prove that the World Cup needs another 16 nations.
“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Bluewin.
The 2030 Map Already Pushes The Tournament’s Limits
The next World Cup was complicated before the 64 team proposal returned.
FIFA’s official hosting plan places most of the tournament in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each stage a centenary match to honour the South American origins of the competition, which began in Montevideo in 1930.
Expansion could give each South American host a complete 4 team group instead of a single fixture. Such a move would create a stronger centenary presence in the region where the World Cup began.
It would also make the operation far more difficult.
Organisers would need more stadium dates, training bases, hotels, security plans and transport windows. FIFA would have to keep teams inside strict regional zones or allow long distance travel to become part of the competitive equation.
Supporters would face similar problems. Following one team across Europe, Africa, and South America could become extremely expensive, even if the schedule limits movement between continents.
A 64 team format built around 16 groups of 4 would probably produce 128 matches. That is 24 more than the current schedule and twice the 64 games played in Qatar in 2022.
The event would grow, but the football calendar would not suddenly create more recovery time. Hundreds of additional players would remain involved deep into the summer, while clubs would receive them back after longer international campaigns.
More Nations Create More Revenue And Influence
FIFA presents expansion as a route toward global development. Africa’s performances give that argument real sporting weight.
The commercial appeal is just as clear.
Another 24 matches would create more tickets, broadcast windows, and sponsor exposure. Sixteen additional participating countries would bring domestic audiences, media partners, and national sponsors into the tournament with a direct stake in the results.
Greater access could also send World Cup revenue and attention toward nations that rarely receive either. Qualification can encourage governments and football associations to invest in academies, facilities, and coaching.
FIFA should not pretend that growth carries only sporting motives. A larger World Cup gives the organisation more inventory to sell and more national associations with a direct interest in its flagship competition.
Reuters reported in March 2025 that Uruguayan Football Association president Ignacio Alonso introduced the 64 team proposal during a FIFA Council meeting. The governing body acknowledged the idea and agreed to study it.
CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez later supported the proposal as a way to give more countries a place in the World Cup’s 100th anniversary. His backing also showed the political appeal of expansion within South America.
Representation and revenue can rise together. The central question is whether the sporting value justifies the added scale.
Senior Officials Raised Objections Before 2026
Resistance began long before the current tournament produced its surprise results.
During an April 2025 interview with ESPN, Concacaf president and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani warned that another expansion could damage national teams, domestic leagues, clubs and players.
Montagliani also questioned why FIFA would consider replacing the 48 team format before staging a single tournament under the system.
That timing gives his criticism more force. He was not reacting to poor matches, weak crowds, or disappointing television figures. His argument was that FIFA should let the new structure settle before ordering another overhaul.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin raised a separate concern at the UEFA Congress earlier that month. He described the proposal as a bad idea for both the World Cup and the qualification process.
The 2026 competition has answered some doubts. New teams competed. Major nations suffered early exits. Africa produced 9 knockout participants.
Qualification remains a harder problem.
A 64 team field would contain roughly 30% of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Established nations in some confederations would gain a much larger margin for error. South American qualifying could lose much of its danger if nearly every CONMEBOL member reached the finals.
Scarcity gives qualification its pressure. Remove too much of it and the road to the World Cup risks becoming routine for football’s wealthiest nations.
A Successful Expansion Does Not Demand Another One
The 48 team World Cup has delivered the evidence FIFA needed.
Smaller nations competed. New audiences entered the tournament. Additional places did not automatically lower the standard of the knockout rounds.
That success supports the current format. It does not require FIFA to add another 16 teams after only 1 edition.
Infantino can point to Cape Verde, Egypt, and Morocco as proof that wider access works. His critics can point to a possible 128 match schedule, a 6 country hosting plan, and qualifiers that may lose much of their tension.
FIFA now faces a more demanding test than simply asking whether it can stage a larger tournament. It must show that 64 teams would make the World Cup better.
Before the trophy is lifted in 2026, the battle over the size of 2030 has already begun.
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FAQs
Q1. Is FIFA expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams?
A. Not yet. Gianni Infantino said FIFA committees will examine the proposal after the 2026 tournament ends.
Q2. How many matches would a 64 team World Cup have?
A. A format containing 16 groups of 4 would probably produce 128 matches, which is 24 more than the 2026 tournament.
Q3. Where will the 2030 World Cup be held?
A. Morocco, Portugal, and Spain will host most matches. Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will each stage a centenary celebration match.
Q4. Why does Gianni Infantino support World Cup expansion?
A. Infantino argues that wider access helps smaller football nations improve and gives more countries a realistic chance to reach the World Cup.
Q5. Why do officials oppose a 64 team World Cup?
A. Critics fear weaker qualification, difficult logistics, greater pressure on players, and another major format change before the 48 team system has settled.
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