The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to be the beginning of a new era. Instead, it may only be the first step.

Just weeks after football’s expanded 48-team World Cup concluded across the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that world football’s governing body will examine the possibility of growing the tournament even further — to an unprecedented 64 teams for the 2030 edition.

If approved, the proposal would transform the World Cup into the largest sporting event in football history, with 128 matches involving nearly a third of FIFA’s 210 member nations.

“This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this 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. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part.” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport.

To the casual observer, it sounds like an admirable democratic crusade. To cynical insiders, it is the ultimate geopolitical chess move, promising more member revenue and rendering a historic multi-continental 2030 tournament even more unwieldy.

A Tournament That Keeps Growing

For nearly a quarter-century, the World Cup remained a 32-team competition. That format, introduced in 1998, produced some of the most iconic tournaments in football history, from Ronaldo’s redemption in 2002 to Lionel Messi’s crowning moment in Qatar two decades later.

FIFA, however, has long believed the game’s biggest stage should be more accessible.

The first major shift arrived in 2026 when the tournament expanded to 48 teams, increasing participation opportunities across every confederation and boosting the total number of matches from 64 to 104.

Now, FIFA is considering another leap.

Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino confirmed that discussions on a 64-team format would take place following the success of the 2026 tournament.

For FIFA, the argument is straightforward: more teams mean broader representation, increased investment in developing football nations and greater global engagement.

The Logistical Nightmare of 128 Matches

The 2026 edition in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico marked the first time 48 nations competed, ballooning the schedule to 104 matches.

A 64-team tournament would likely increase the schedule to 128 matches, compared to 104 in 2026 and 64 under the previous format.

That is literally double the workload of the tournament just four years ago in Qatar.

But the real headache lies in the geography. The 2030 centenary tournament is already a logistical jigsaw puzzle.

To mark 100 years since the inaugural 1930 tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay are scheduled to host one symbolic opening match each.

The remaining bulk of the tournament will then fly across the Atlantic to be split between Morocco, Portugal, and Spain – The hosts of the 2030 World Cup.

Adding 16 more teams to a tournament spanning three continents and multiple time zones borders on infrastructure madness.

South America Wants Expansion

The push for a larger World Cup is not coming from FIFA alone.

The proposal was first raised by Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso before receiving public backing from CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez, who described a 64-team World Cup as his “dream” for the tournament’s centenary edition.

There is also a practical reason behind South America’s enthusiasm.

Under the current 48-team framework, South America hosts just three matches before the tournament leaves the continent, locking them out of hosting duties until at least 2042 due to FIFA’s rotational stipulations.

However, expanding to 64 teams could potentially allow the South American hosts to play a much larger role in the tournament rather than serving largely symbolic functions.

“Vulgar and Ordinary” vs. Global Inclusivity

Predictably, the football ecosystem has fractured along predictable lines over the proposal.

Infantino has staunchly defended the early returns of the 48-team expansion, branding it a “100 percent success” and pointing to the sporting romance of nine African nations breaching the knockout rounds.

But those on the ground are less convinced. Critics argue that hyper-expansion dilutes the elite mystique of the World Cup.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has openly described the proposal as a “bad idea,” arguing that it would dilute both the World Cup itself and the integrity of the qualification process.

Similar concerns have emerged from CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who warned that constant expansion risks creating logistical chaos.

Following his side’s group stage exit, Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz pulled no punches, lamenting that the 48-team expansion had already devalued the regional qualification process, rendering the world’s most prestigious tournament “vulgar and ordinary.”

If a 48-team tournament feels diluted, a 64-team bracket threatens to break the traditional international break entirely.

A field that wide would swallow up nearly a third of FIFA’s 210 member associations. In South America’s CONMEBOL, six out of ten teams already qualify automatically for a 48-team tournament, with a seventh entering a playoff.

Expanding further would mean virtually the entire continent qualifies by default, rendering their notoriously grueling two-year qualification campaign completely obsolete.

The Power Brokers Face Off

The political battle lines are already being drawn. UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have all voiced reservations about further expansion, while South American officials continue to push for a larger tournament.

Yet, FIFA holds the ultimate cards. A larger tournament creates an exponential leap in television broadcast rights and commercial sponsorships—capital that Infantino redistributes directly to the global member associations who vote in FIFA elections.

Whether supporters embrace it or resist it, one thing is clear: less than a decade after expanding to 48 teams, FIFA is already asking whether football’s biggest tournament can become even bigger. The answer could redefine the World Cup for generations to come.