FIFA president Gianni Infantino is considering a proposal to add 16 more countries to the World Cup in four years’ time.
Published July 12, 2026
President Gianni Infantino said in an interview that FIFA officials will consider the possibility of expanding the World Cup by an additional 16 teams before 2030.
Infantino told Swiss outlet Brewin that increasing the number of teams from 48 to 64 makes sense.
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“It is definitely an issue that will be considered and discussed by the relevant committees after this World Cup,” he told Brewin.
“When organizing a World Cup, it is important to organize a World Cup not just for Europe or South America, but for virtually the entire world. Every country should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. We see that the quality of the teams is very high. All over the world, the level is getting higher and higher. If we do not give smaller countries the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, they lack the incentive to continue to improve.”
The World Cup featured 32 teams from 1998 to 2022, but the current 2026 tournament will feature 48 teams for the first time.
Four teams remain in the tournament: Argentina, England, France and Spain. Only two semifinal games and the final remain from the original 104-game schedule, which was played in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Infantino said he considers the 48-team field to be a “huge success.”
“Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored a goal and scored at least one point,” he said. “Nine out of 10 African teams made it to the knockout stages. In the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. This shows how important it is to include all teams and give them the opportunity to participate.”
The 2030 tournament will be held on multiple continents.
The first three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, with one match each, while the remaining matches will be held in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Expanding to 64 teams could mean South American countries could host one group of four teams instead of one game each.
