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CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has claimed on social media that the 2030 World Cup will expand to an unprecedented 64-team tournament. The bold statement follows confirmation from Gianni Infantino that FIFA plans to evaluate further expansion after the ground-breaking 48-team 2026 edition in North America.
South American chief’s claim
CONMEBOL president Dominguez sparked widespread speculation after claiming on social media that the 2030 World Cup will feature 64 participating nations. The centenary edition is scheduled to host Spain, Morocco and Portugal along with three ceremonial opening matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. This bombshell claim came shortly after the 2026 tournament in North America successfully debuted a 48-team format, which ended with Spain being crowned champions.
Managers address growth in tournaments
In a post on Platform X, Dominguez declared: “In 2030, the World Cup will come to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, a great opportunity for football, to celebrate the World Cup centenary with a 64-team tournament.”
Although there has been no official confirmation from FIFA on the matter, President Infantino has previously indicated a willingness to evaluate further expansion. Talking to Swiss TV station Blue Sportstated Infantino: “This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.
“When you organize a World Cup, it’s important that you organize it for the whole world. It’s not just Europe and South America, but the whole world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of participating in the World Cup.
“We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it is getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don’t give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving.”
Format changes change calendar
The proposal to host a 64-team World Cup would completely overhaul the tournament’s structure, offering 128 matches, twice as many as the classic 32-team format. This system is likely to split the opening stage into 16 groups of four, bringing the group stage up from 72 to 96 games. Extending the competition to six weeks risks escalating calendar friction with the clubs, as players must commit up to two full months, including pre-tournament preparations.
FIFA weighs expansion obstacles
FIFA’s governing bodies are scheduled to convene a series of internal committee meetings to thoroughly assess the feasibility of the proposed expansion. World football’s governing body faces a delicate balancing act between the commercialization of tournaments and a fierce backlash from players’ associations and clubs over athletes’ workloads. A final verdict regarding the competition format is expected to be formally announced at an upcoming FIFA Congress.
