FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hinted at the possibility of further expanding the World Cup finals to 64 teams, stating that any such decisions will be discussed after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament. This year's World Cup, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, marked the first time 48 teams participated, a move that faced heavy criticism but has since generated little debate since the tournament began on June 11.
Speaking to Swiss television outlet Blue Sport, Infantino, who was instrumental in increasing the finals from 32 to 48 teams, emphasized the importance of organising the World Cup for the entire world, not just Europe and South America. He said, "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."
The expanded format has allowed teams like Cabo Verde to achieve notable success during the tournament. Infantino also highlighted that every team played at a high level, with teams from every continent scoring goals and earning points.
Addressing the introduction of hydration breaks during each half—a measure some critics viewed as a tactic to increase advertising revenue—Infantino acknowledged the controversy but explained that these short breaks occurred in about 60 percent of matches, primarily when temperatures were high. He noted that similar cooling breaks were used during the previous year's Club World Cup in the USA.
Financially, Infantino projected that FIFA would generate between 13 and 14 billion Swiss francs (approximately $23.12 billion to $24.91 billion AUD) from the 39-day tournament.
"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino said, without providing further details on the potential expansion.
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