FIFA Considers 64‑Team 2030 World Cup Expansion

FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with CONMEBOL leaders and South American heads of state in New York at FIFA’s Trump Tower offices to discuss a formal proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams — a centenary one‑off idea first pitched by the Uruguayan Football Association. The proposal would guarantee all 10 CONMEBOL members places and roughly double the tournament to about 128 matches. The 2030 tournament is already planned across six countries on three continents, with opening matches in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina and the bulk of games to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Several delegations attended the meetings, led by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez and including Paraguay’s president Santiago Peña and Uruguay’s Yamandú Orsi; Argentina’s president Javier Milei did not attend. FIFA says any change would need debate and approval by the FIFA Council and further talks are scheduled this week, but sources say a 64‑team expansion faces significant opposition amid warnings it could produce many uncompetitive matches and harm the World Cup’s business model.