FIFA is studying the possibility of expanding the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams starting with the 2030 edition, which will celebrate the tournament's centennial. This would add 16 more national teams to the competition, which had previously expanded from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup — the first expansion since 1998.

The governing body intends to appoint an independent agency to assess how this ambitious expansion could affect the tournament's overall proposition. The South American football confederation CONMEBOL officially proposed hosting the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams last year, aiming to allow more countries to participate in the centennial celebrations.

However, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin expressed opposition to the idea last year, stating that expanding the World Cup to 64 teams was not a good idea. The proposal has also led to tensions within the football community, with reports of UEFA threatening a boycott and AFC standing in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF over FIFA's World Cup plans.

FIFA remains defiant over its investment plans for the World Cup, emphasizing that "nobody is selling football," despite some senior advisers resigning over concerns about the expansion strategy.

Sources