FIFA President Gianni Infantino has revealed that football’s governing body is open to discussing a further expansion of the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, saying the move could create more opportunities for emerging football nations across the globe.
Infantino disclosed this during an interview with Swiss media outlet Blue News, where he said FIFA’s committees would evaluate the proposal following the conclusion of the ongoing 2026 World Cup.
According to him, broadening participation in the tournament aligns with FIFA’s objective of making the World Cup a truly global competition rather than one dominated by traditional football powers.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.
The FIFA chief argued that increasing the number of participating countries would help stimulate football development in smaller nations by giving them a realistic pathway to the sport’s biggest stage.
“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world—not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he stated.
He noted that the standard of football across different regions has continued to improve and said wider participation would encourage countries to invest more in the game.
“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving,” he added.
The 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from the previous 32-team format that had been in place since 1998.
Infantino described the expanded competition as a major success, pointing to the performances of teams from outside football’s traditional strongholds as evidence that the new format has enhanced competitiveness.
“It’s been a huge success with 48 teams. Every team played at a high level,” he said.
The FIFA president highlighted the progress made by African nations at the tournament, noting that nine of the ten teams representing the continent advanced beyond the group stage.
“Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. Nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams—to give them this opportunity to participate,” he said.
Any move to increase the number of participating teams to 64 would mark another significant shift in the structure of the World Cup and would likely trigger extensive discussions among football stakeholders over scheduling, logistics and the overall competitiveness of the tournament.
The next edition of the World Cup, scheduled for 2030, will mark the 100th anniversary of the competition. The tournament will be hosted mainly by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will stage selected matches as part of the centenary celebrations.
Uruguay hosted the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.