FIFA president says the proposal will be considered after the 2026 tournament, with Africa among the regions that could benefit from additional qualification places
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that world football’s governing body will examine a proposal to expand the 64-team World Cup from the 2030 edition, a move that could significantly increase Africa’s representation at the sport’s biggest tournament.
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Speaking in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, as reported by The New York Times, Infantino said FIFA’s relevant committees would assess the proposal after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will already feature an expanded field of 48 teams, up from the previous 32.
The proposed expansion would add another 16 nations, creating the largest World Cup in history and allowing more than a quarter of FIFA’s 210 member associations to qualify for the global showpiece.
Responding to suggestions from football stakeholders that the tournament should grow further, Infantino said the proposal deserved formal consideration.
“It is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” he said.
The FIFA president argued that expanding the competition is consistent with the organisation’s vision of making international football more inclusive and giving emerging nations a realistic pathway to the World Cup.
“The World Cup is for the whole world, not just Europe and South America,” Infantino 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.
“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”
For Africa, the proposal could prove particularly significant. Under the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 tournament, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been allocated 10 qualification places, including guaranteed slots and an inter-confederation play-off opportunity.
A further expansion to 64 teams would almost certainly lead FIFA to increase allocations across all continental confederations, potentially giving African nations greater representation on football’s biggest stage.
Infantino also defended FIFA’s decision to expand the 2026 tournament, describing the move as “100 per cent a success” despite concerns raised by some coaches, football administrators and analysts about fixture congestion and the overall quality of the competition.
The idea of a 64-team World Cup first emerged during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025, when Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso formally proposed the expansion.
The proposal later received support from CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez, who argued that a larger tournament would make the centenary edition of the World Cup even more inclusive.
“A larger tournament in 2030 would unite the world, just once,” Dominguez said.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary and will be staged across six countries on three continents. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host one opening match to commemorate the inaugural World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, while Morocco, Portugal and Spain will jointly host the remainder of the competition.
However, the proposal has also attracted strong opposition from several influential football administrators.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has described the idea as “a bad idea”, warning that a further expansion could dilute the prestige of the World Cup and undermine the integrity of the European qualification process.
Similarly, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has questioned the need for another increase so soon after the 2026 expansion, saying it is “not a great idea.”
The debate reflects a broader tension within world football between expanding opportunities for developing nations and preserving the competitive balance and commercial appeal of the tournament.
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With FIFA set to review the proposal after the 2026 finals, the future size of the World Cup is likely to remain one of the sport’s most closely watched governance issues.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
