FIFA head Gianni Infantino hints at 64-team World Cup for 2030

As the first ever 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup nears its conclusion, the football governing body’s chief Gianni Infantino has surprised fans by hinting at a potential expansion to 64 teams in the 2030 edition of the tournament.

Hailing the success of the 104-match tournament, the FIFA president said the success of the 2026 edition provides the governing body a reason to consider further expansion of up to 64 teams for the next world cup scheduled to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

In an interview with Blue Sport, Infantino said the world cup should be for the whole world, not just for Europe and South America, adding, “These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup.”

The 56-year-old Swiss football administrator was of the view that the world cup provides incentives for smaller teams to improve. He said, “You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.”

His comments are backed by impressive performances by smaller teams, who debuted in the global showdown, after the FIFA Council approved the expansion of world cup to 48-teams back in 2017.

Cape Verde’s historic run to the knockouts and taking defending champions Argentina to extra time remains one of the most talked-about stories by an underdog in the tournament.

However, Infantino's proposal is expected to face significant resistance particularly from UEFA head Alexander Ceferin who described the proposal as a “bad idea.”