CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has declared that the 2030 World Cup will feature 64 teams, a significant expansion from the 48-team format that debuted in the 2026 tournament. In a post on X shortly after Spain's victory in the 2026 final, Dominguez wrote: "The next one is played at home! In 2030, the World Cup comes to Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, a great opportunity for soccer, to celebrate the Centenary of the World Cup with a competition featuring 64 teams."
Dominguez's Confident Statement
Dominguez's announcement came just a day after he had used more cautious language, referring to the 64-team format as a "dream" in a post before the final. In that earlier message, he said: "We are living through a historic World Cup, the first with 48 teams, a true success. Congratulations dear Gianni Infantino and to all the friends at FIFA for such a great organisation, and congratulations Spain for being the new world champion. In 2030, we'll see you at home with the dream of playing it with 64 teams to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup!" The shift in tone suggests that Dominguez believes the expansion is now a certainty, despite FIFA president Gianni Infantino's more measured stance.
Infantino's Cautious Approach
Infantino has previously indicated that a 64-nation tournament would be considered but stressed that thorough assessment and investigation are needed before any further expansion. When asked about the possibility, Infantino told Blue Sport: "These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup. 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."
Opposition from Football Confederations
The proposal for a 64-team World Cup has drawn significant criticism from other football governing bodies. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has branded it a "bad idea," while Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, warned that such an expansion would trigger "chaos" within international football. The 2026 tournament, which featured 48 teams and 104 matches, was already a major logistical undertaking, and a 64-team event would further increase the number of games and strain on host nations.
The 2030 World Cup Hosts
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted primarily by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with the opening three matches taking place in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to mark the centenary of the tournament. The expansion to 64 teams would mean a total of 128 matches, up from 104 in 2026, raising questions about scheduling, venue capacity, and player workload. Dominguez's statement suggests that the decision may already be finalised, though FIFA has yet to officially confirm the change.
