La Liga president Javier Tebas has said in a scathing interview that the era of FIFA president Gianni Infantino is “over”.
Published July 21, 2026
Spanish Football League president Javier Tebas has accused FIFA of acting “irresponsibly” in an interview with Italian sports newspaper after the announcement of talks about a possible 64-team World Cup in 2030.
Tebas also said in an interview published in La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper on Tuesday that the era of FIFA president Gianni Infantino was “over”.
He lamented the way FIFA’s leadership was selected, calling it a “fundamentally flawed” system that allowed Infantino to lead soccer’s world governing body for a decade.
“The football industry is not just thinking about the World Cup, no matter how important it is,” he said.
“They are destroying a football industry that generates tens of thousands of jobs for an event that lasts 40 days and involves only a small number of players.”
At the World Cup opening ceremony in June, Infantino mentioned “discussions about expanding the number of participating teams to 64” in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the World Cup in 2030. The World Cup will mainly be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina also expected to welcome some matches.
“We have repeatedly expressed concerns about the tournament schedule and now they want to organize a 64-team World Cup,” Tebas added, stressing that “the domestic leagues are what keep this sport alive.”
“We need to reduce the number of national teams and strengthen the protection of domestic football at all levels. They are not aware of this and are making decisions irresponsibly,” Tebas added.
FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment following La Liga’s accusations by Tebas.
