FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that a potential expansion of the men's FIFA World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition will be formally assessed once the ongoing 2026 tournament concludes, signalling that football's showpiece event could undergo yet another historic structural overhaul.

What Infantino Said

Speaking to Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino stated: 'It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.' He added: '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 56-year-old FIFA chief also gave a strong endorsement to the current expansion, calling the move from 32 to 48 teams '100 per cent a success.'

The Current 48-Team Format

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is the first edition to feature 48 participating nations — up from the 32-team format that ran from 1998 to 2022. Under the new structure, teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed sides advancing to a newly introduced round of 32. A total of 104 matches are scheduled across the tournament.

Why a 64-Team World Cup Would Matter

A further expansion to 64 teams would mark the most dramatic change in World Cup history, significantly increasing the number of matches, participating nations, and logistical demands placed on host countries. Critics of successive expansions have raised concerns about match quality and player fatigue, but Infantino's framing centres on inclusivity — arguing that broader participation drives football development in smaller footballing nations.

Notably, this would be the third major structural change to the World Cup in roughly three decades, following the jump from 24 to 32 teams in 1998 and the current leap to 48.

The 2030 World Cup — Already Unprecedented

The 2030 FIFA World Cup is already set to be unlike any edition in the tournament's 100-year history. Matches will be played across six countries and three continents — Morocco, Portugal, and Spain will host the bulk of the competition, while Uruguay — which staged the inaugural 1930 World Cup — will host a centenary celebration match. Argentina and Paraguay will each host one match as part of the commemorative programme.

Whether the 2030 edition also becomes the first 64-team World Cup will depend on the outcome of committee discussions expected to begin after the 2026 tournament wraps up.