Fifa has confirmed it is not planning to expand the men's World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 centenary edition, despite president Gianni Infantino meeting South American leaders to discuss the proposal. The meeting, held at Fifa's offices in Trump Tower, New York, included the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, the head of South American confederation Conmebol, and officials from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The proposal, informally raised by the Uruguayan Football Association at a Fifa Council meeting in March, has been met with scepticism. A Fifa source said: 'Gianni would not get that vote through Council even if he wanted to. The overwhelming feeling around the table – and not just in Europe – is that 64 teams would damage the World Cup.'
Next year's World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, while the 2030 tournament will be staged across six countries on three continents. Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will host the first three matches, with the rest in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Expanding to 64 teams would mean more than 30% of Fifa's 211 member associations taking part, and all 10 Conmebol nations qualifying directly.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has described the idea as a 'bad idea' that would reduce quality and undermine qualifying. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said: 'They can study all they want, but it just doesn't feel right.' Both are Fifa vice-presidents. Any decision would be taken by Fifa Council, which meets next month, but the issue is not on the agenda.
