FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said football's governing body will examine the possibility of expanding the men's World Cup from 48 teams to 64 teams after the conclusion of the 2026 edition, saying broader participation would help grow the sport across the world.
The 2026 World Cup, being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first tournament to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format used between 1998 and 2002.
With the tournament now entering its final stage, Infantino said FIFA would review the idea of another expansion before the 2030 World Cup.
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"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, when asked if the tournament could grow to 64 teams.
The FIFA president stated that expanding the tournament is about making football more inclusive rather than benefiting only the sport's traditional powerhouses.
"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." Infantino said.
"You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world. 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 expansion to 48 teams increased the number of participating nations from Asia, Africa, CONCACAF and Oceania, allowing more countries to compete on football's biggest stage.
The move was initially met with concerns over fixture congestion, player workload and the overall quality of competition. However, FIFA has maintained that the larger format has made the tournament more representative of the global game.
Infantino pointed out that to Africa's performance at the ongoing World Cup as an example of why expanding the competition can benefit emerging football nations.
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"At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa," he said. "That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams - to give them this opportunity to participate." The FIFA President concluded.
While no formal proposal has been approved, FIFA is expected to assess the impact of the 48-team format after the 2026 World Cup before deciding whether to pursue a further expansion for the 2030 edition. Any such change would require approval from FIFA's governing bodies.
*Source: FIFA
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