The 2026 FIFA World Cup saw an expansion from 32 to 48 national teams and the next edition looks set to see the field expanded once again.
CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez stated on Monday via social media that the 2030 edition of the tournament will feature 64 national teams. FIFA has not confirmed the news revealed by Dominguez, but federation president Gianni Infantino has previously hinted at the idea after the competition was expanded for its most recent edition.
“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world, not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world,” Infantino told Swiss outlet Blue Sport earlier this month. “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,” he added. “If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but three of the earlier fixtures will take place in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Spain recently defeated Argentina 1-0 on Sunday to close out the 2026 edition of the competition, capping off a first World Cup on North American soil since 1994. The United States, Mexico, and Canada all served as joint-hosts of the tournament.
An expansion to 64 national teams would force FIFA to make changes to the qualifying format for each federation. World Cup Qualifying is slated to begin during the September-October 2027 window with only a few federations already announcing their plans.
Source: Sbisoccer.com
