Another World Cup expansion could arrive in time for the next tournament.
Alejandro Dominguez — the president of CONMEBOL, South America’s governing soccer body — confirmed on social media Monday that the 2030 World Cup would feature a record 64 teams.
The next men’s World Cup will mark the event’s 100th anniversary. The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off games in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
“The next one is played at home,” Dominguez wrote. “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.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has openly floated expansion, but the organization has not otherwise confirmed the move to 64 teams.
This year’s World Cup was the first to feature 48 teams. The tournament included 32 nations from 1998 to 2022.
“We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher everywhere in the world,” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport this month. “If you don’t give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving.”
The proposal has already ruffled feathers across the soccer landscape, though.
Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s LaLiga, said Tuesday in an interview, “Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense. … We need fewer national teams and more protection for national football at all levels. They don’t realize; they decide irresponsibly.”
A 64-team tournament with 128 matches would likely lead to a major revenue boost for FIFA. Several economists told The Washington Times in June that they expected this year’s event, which featured 104 matches, to be the most profitable World Cup yet.
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