Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating
In the long arc of football's global ambition, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is already looking past the 2026 World Cup toward a tournament that could welcome 64 nations — nearly a third of the world's footballing members. The impulse is ancient and familiar: the desire to widen the circle of belonging, to let more of humanity share in the dream. Yet expansion, as ever, collides with the realities of logistics, politics, and the competing interests of those who already hold a seat at the table.
- Infantino is pressing the case for a 64-team World Cup by pointing to a striking vindication: nine in ten African teams reached the knockout rounds in 2026, a leap that would have seemed implausible under the old 32-team format.
- The proposal carries real urgency — Conmebol formally tabled the 64-team idea for the 2030 World Cup as early as April 2025, meaning the window for decision-making is narrower than it appears.
- Opposition from the sport's most powerful confederations is fierce: UEFA calls it a bad idea, the AFC warns of chaos, and Concacaf says it simply doesn't feel right — a coalition of skepticism that cannot be easily dismissed.
- The logistical arithmetic is daunting: 64 teams means 128 matches, a figure that already strains the three-nation footprint of 2026 and raises serious questions about whether any single future host could manage it.
- FIFA's official posture remains one of open consultation rather than commitment, but the financial and political incentives for expansion are powerful — more qualifying nations means more revenue flowing to more associations, and more votes in FIFA's own corridors.
Gianni Infantino is already thinking beyond 2026. In a recent interview, the FIFA president signaled that football's governing body will seriously examine expanding the World Cup to 64 teams once the current 48-team tournament concludes — driven, he said, by a simple conviction: the World Cup should belong to everyone.
The argument for expansion draws heavily on what Infantino sees as the vindication of the current format. Skeptics feared that growing from 32 to 48 teams would dilute quality. Instead, nine out of ten African nations advanced to the knockout rounds — compared to just five African qualifiers at the previous tournament. For Infantino, the lesson is clear: give smaller nations a genuine chance at the biggest stage, and they will rise to meet it. Without that opportunity, he argued, countries have little reason to invest in their football programs, and the gap between the powerful and the peripheral only widens.
The 64-team proposal is not new. Conmebol formally put it forward in April 2025, targeting the 2030 World Cup — a tournament already spread across Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to mark the competition's centenary. But no decision has been made, and opposition is both substantial and vocal. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin called it a bad idea; the Asian Football Confederation warned of chaos; Concacaf's leader said it simply doesn't feel right. A dissenting voice came from the United States, where a White House task force official suggested America could host a 64-team event as early as 2038.
The practical obstacles are formidable. A 64-team tournament would require 128 matches — a logistical undertaking that already tests the limits of multi-nation hosting. How Saudi Arabia, set to host in 2034, could absorb such a format remains an open question. Yet the financial and political incentives are real: nearly a third of FIFA's 211 member nations would qualify, generating more revenue and broader institutional support. Infantino's appetite for expansion has been consistent since his election in 2016, when he first proposed 40 teams before settling on 48. The 2026 tournament is shaping up as his most persuasive argument yet — and if it continues to succeed, the push for 64 will only grow harder to resist.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, is already thinking beyond the 2026 World Cup. In an interview with Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, he signaled that football's governing body will seriously examine the possibility of expanding the tournament to 64 teams once the current 48-team format concludes. The push for such growth, he argued, stems from a simple principle: the World Cup should belong to everyone.
The case for expansion rests partly on what Infantino sees as the vindication of the current format. When FIFA expanded from 32 to 48 teams for this tournament, skeptics worried the quality would suffer. Instead, Infantino points to a striking statistic: nine out of every ten African teams advanced to the knockout rounds. At the previous World Cup, only five African nations qualified. That gap, in his view, proves something essential about competitive sport—when you give smaller nations a genuine shot at the biggest stage, they rise to meet it. "Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup," Infantino told the broadcaster. Without that opportunity, he reasoned, countries lack the motivation to invest in their football programs. The result is a widening gap between the haves and have-nots.
The proposal itself is not new. South American football's governing body, Conmebol, formally put forward the 64-team idea in April 2025, targeting the 2030 World Cup. That tournament will be hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with three opening matches held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to mark the competition's centenary—Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in 1930. But no decision has been made, and the path forward is far from clear.
Opposition is substantial and vocal. Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, the European confederation, has called the expansion a "bad idea" for both the tournament and the qualifying process. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who leads the Asian Football Confederation, warned that further growth would create "chaos." Victor Montagliani, heading the North American and Caribbean confederation, said the proposal "doesn't feel right" and would damage the broader football ecosystem. Yet there are voices on the other side. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, suggested the United States could bid to host a 64-team tournament in 2038 and would be capable of managing it.
The practical challenges are real. A 64-team World Cup would require 128 matches—far more than current tournaments can accommodate in a single country or even two. This year's 48-team event spans three nations across a wide geography. In 2030, matches will be played across six countries. The question of how Saudi Arabia, which is set to host in 2034, could handle such a sprawling tournament remains unanswered. Yet for Infantino, the political and financial calculus favors expansion. A 64-team format would allow nearly a third of FIFA's 211 member nations to qualify, a powerful argument for inclusion. It would also generate substantially more revenue, which FIFA distributes to member associations—a benefit that carries weight in the organization's decision-making.
Infantino's ambitions for expansion are not new. When he was elected FIFA president in 2016, his initial proposal was to grow the World Cup to 40 teams. Within a year, that had jumped to 48, which the FIFA council approved in 2017. The question of whether to push further has never truly disappeared from the conversation. The 2026 tournament will provide what Infantino clearly sees as a test case. If it succeeds—and early signs suggest it will—the argument for 64 teams will only grow louder. The FIFA council will ultimately decide, but for now, the organization's official stance is that it will listen to proposals and consult with stakeholders. No decision is expected soon, but the groundwork is being laid.
Citações Notáveis
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.— Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
The first 48-team World Cup has been a huge success, demonstrating how important it is to include all teams and give them the opportunity to participate.— Gianni Infantino, FIFA president
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Infantino keep pushing for bigger tournaments? Is it really about inclusion, or is there something else?
Both, probably. He genuinely believes smaller nations deserve a chance—the African data backs that up. But bigger tournaments mean more matches, more broadcast rights, more money flowing to member associations. That's real power in FIFA politics.
But doesn't expansion make the tournament worse? More teams means more mismatches, more blowouts.
That's what the skeptics say. But Infantino's argument is that you can't know a team's potential if you never let them play. Nine out of ten African teams made the knockout stage this year. That's not a fluke—it's what happens when you give people the stage.
The hosting problem seems like the real issue though. How do you fit 128 matches into one country?
You don't. That's why 2030 is already spread across six countries. A 64-team tournament would be even messier. But Infantino seems willing to accept that complexity if it means more nations get in.
Who actually benefits from this? The big football nations or the small ones?
The small ones get their dream. The big ones get more revenue distributed through FIFA. And Infantino gets to be the president who made football truly global. Everyone wins something.