Kolkata: CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez has made a bombshell announcement claiming that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will increase from a proposed 48 teams to a total of 64 participating teams. During a statement released to social media after the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament concluded, Alejandro Domínguez said that, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup, this milestone will be expanded significantly for this monumental occasion. It is expected that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will get underway in South America with opening matches being played out across Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, with the rest of the tournament’s action taking place primarily in host venues in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
“The next one will be played at home! In 2030, the World Cup is coming to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. It will be a great opportunity for soccer and a chance to celebrate the World Cup centenary with a 64-team competition”, said Alejandro.
Although FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that governing committees are still discussing the bid, the football community at large remains split on what will be a format change.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is already set to become the most geographically sprawling tournament in sports history, spanning three continents and six host countries. Under the existing agreement, the inaugural centennial matches will take place in Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Asunción to honour the first World Cup played in Uruguay back in 1930.
Following the opening celebrations in South America, the remaining group matches and knockout stages will shift to primary hosts Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. If approved, expanding the tournament from 48 to 64 teams would double the traditional 64-match template used before 2026 into a massive 128-match marathon.
The announcement is yet to be ratified by FIFA, though the governing body’s president, Gianni Infantino, had previously said that the expansion was a certain possibility.
“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino had told Bluewin.
“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organize 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.”
The World Cup had 32 teams from 1998 through 2022, and was expanded to 48 for the 2026 edition.
