Gianni Infantino has already expanded the World Cup once, and FIFA will now consider doing so again (Image: Getty)
Gianni Infantino says FIFA will definitely discuss expanding the World Cup to 64 teams in a major update ahead of this year’s semi-finals. Their controversial president believes this first edition with 48 sides has been a huge success.
Its early editions featured between 13 and 16 teams, before eventually increasing to 24 in 1982. Sixteen years later, the World Cup grew to 32, a number that remained the same for almost three decades until this summer’s tournament.
However, the World Cup could now double in size from the 2022 edition to 2030’s tournament. The 2026 World Cup is down to the final four teams, with England taking on Argetina on Wednesday after France play Spain on Tuesday.
After being asked whether World Cup expansion was the right decision, FIFA’s president said to the Swiss publication Bluewin: “Yes, 100 per cent! It’s been a huge success with 48 teams.
“Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point.
“Nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams—to give them this opportunity to participate.
Infantino also spoke on the subject of a further increase to 64 teams. He said: “That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.
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Gianni Infantino will oversee the World Cup doubling in size during his presidency if it grows to 64 (Image: Getty)
“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.
“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.”
Infantino has championed expansion since assuming office. He also oversaw similar changes to the European Championship as UEFA Secretary General.
The tournament featured 16 teams for two decades, until the number was increased to 24 for the 2016 edition. It started with just four teams, then doubled to eight in 1980 and again to 16 in 1996.
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Football fans are split on the latest talk of an expansion to the World Cup. One user on X asked: “Why stop at 64?
“Just invite all 211 FIFA nations. Let’s have a nine-month World Cup hosted across 45 different countries. Think of the broadcast revenue! Who cares if the players’ legs literally snap in half by December as long as FIFA executives get their yacht money? Games gone.”
Another said: “World Cup should be 32 teams. Eight groups of four, every game with something on the line, no dead rubbers, no group-of-three shenanigans—quality over quantity. Forty-eight was already a stretch. Sixty-four would turn the greatest tournament on earth into a marathon of mismatches.”
However, on the contrary, someone else said: “Sixty-four would likely be played in the same timeframe, add zero games per team, and the quality of team 33-48 at this tournament is clearly not lacking. Oh, and the format is cleaner. Sixty-four is a win for everyone, whether they know it or not.”