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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has indicated that world football’s governing body will evaluate the possibility of increasing the FIFA Men’s World Cup to 64 participating nations once the 2026 edition concludes, stressing that the competition should provide opportunities for countries across every continent.
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino explained that any decision on further expansion would be considered only after assessing the performance of the first-ever 48-team World Cup.
He maintained that the tournament should reflect football’s global reach rather than remain dominated by traditional powers from Europe and South America.
According to him, widening participation would encourage developing football nations to invest more in the sport by giving them a realistic pathway to qualify for the world’s biggest football event.
He argued that the prospect of reaching the World Cup serves as a strong motivation for countries seeking to improve their standards.
Infantino described the newly expanded 48-team format as a positive development, pointing to the strong performances of African representatives, with nine of the continent’s ten qualified teams progressing to the knockout phase.
He noted that previous editions offered Africa significantly fewer places, limiting opportunities for many competitive nations.
FIFA approved the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in 2017, with the new format making its debut at the 2026 tournament.
The idea of enlarging the competition again gained momentum after CONMEBOL formally proposed a 64-team World Cup for the 2030 tournament in April 2025.
However, football’s global governing body has not reached any conclusion on the proposal.
The 2030 World Cup will primarily be staged by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the opening fixtures will take place in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to commemorate the centenary of the inaugural tournament held in Uruguay in 1930.
Several senior football administrators have voiced opposition to further expansion.
Aleksander Čeferin has argued that a 64-team competition would weaken both the finals and the qualification process.
Similar reservations have been expressed by Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who warned that such a move could create unnecessary disruption, while Victor Montagliani believes the proposal could negatively affect the wider football structure.
Despite those concerns, Andrew Giuliani, who heads the White House’s World Cup task force, has suggested that the United States would be capable of staging a 64-team tournament should it pursue hosting rights for the 2038 edition.
FIFA has reiterated that it remains open to examining proposals submitted by its member bodies, although no immediate decision on increasing the tournament beyond 48 teams is expected.
Image@ BBC
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong