After an already expanded 2026 World Cup, FIFA is considering a 64-team 2030 World Cup

A World Cup with 64 teams? The idea was proposed by the president of the Uruguayan Football Association, during a meeting of the FIFA council on Wednesday, and now FIFA will consider, as they have "the duty to analyse any proposal from one of its council members". A 64-team World Cup, twice from the usual 32, would be, in theory, a special occasion to celebrate the 100 anniversary of the first FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930.

In fact, while Spain, Portugal, and Morocco are the official hosts of the 2030 World Cup, some special, centenary celebration matches will take place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Association, suggested that the 2030 World Cup to be a 64-team competition in a spontaneous way during the council meeting. According to a FIFA statement, as read in The Guardian, "FIFA has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its council members".

A 64-team competition would mean more than a quarter of FIFA 211 member associations would be able to qualify, which would be greatly welcomed in Asia and Oceania, but perhaps less in South America, where qualifying rounds are a big part of the process.

World Cup: 32 teams in 2022, 48 in 2026, 64 in 2030?

Before that, the World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will already be an expanded competition, with 48 teams (108 games instead of 48). 16 teams will be from Europe -to be determined through qualifying games between March and November 2025, in parallel to UEFA Nations League.