Infantino could push through a 64-team World Cup

Infantino's vision

Gianni Infantino, who has led FIFA for 10 years, is known for his 'more is better' approach. After expanding the Club World Cup, increasing ticket prices, and extending the World Cup final's halftime break to 27 minutes and 22 seconds, he now supports a 64-team tournament. "If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving," he said. However, critics note that smaller countries already have a chance if they are good enough, as seen with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.

Format and support

From a format perspective, 64 teams would mean 16 groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The South American confederation CONMEBOL is backing this idea, having proposed it in April 2025 for the 2030 World Cup. Its president, Alejandro Dominguez, said it would ensure "nobody on the planet is left out of the party." UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin dismissed it as a "bad idea" for both the tournament and qualifying. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said it would damage "the broader football ecosystem," while Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned of "chaos."

Challenges and opportunities

While more teams would give emerging nations a chance—like Cape Verde, who drew with Spain and Uruguay this year and pushed Argentina to extra time—it could dilute the tournament's competitiveness. Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan failed to earn a point in this year's group stage. Adding more teams would make it harder to see top seeds like Belgium (2022), Germany (2018), or Spain (2014) fail to advance. Extra slots would be distributed per confederation: UEFA would get Denmark, Italy, and Poland; Africa would add Cameroon, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso; but weaker confederations like Asia and Oceania performed poorly this year, raising questions about competitive balance.

Logistical and financial aspects

Expansion would require more time (this year's tournament lasted 39 days; an additional 24 matches would add five days) and more resources. Future tournaments will struggle with climate change, as fewer countries can provide covered stadiums. Additionally, it's unlikely a single country could host such a large event again—even Saudi Arabia. FIFA projects the 48-team tournament will generate $9 billion this year; a 64-team format would bring even more. Infantino is likely to be re-elected unopposed, but critics argue expansion may eventually harm the game.