FIFA Will Review 64-Team World Cup Proposal to Celebrate 100th Anniversary in 2030
Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Mar 6, 2025
FIFA will consider making the 2030 World Cup the largest tournament in event history.
FIFA's governing council has acknowledged a proposal to expand the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030 as a celebration of the organization's 100th anniversary, a spokesperson told Reuters.
The previous World Cup format featured 32 teams from 1998 to 2022.
FIFA expanded the field to 48 teams, including 45 qualifying countries and three host nations, ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The FIFA spokesperson said in a statement shared with Reuters:
"A proposal to analyse a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5 2025. The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its Council members."
The New York Times' Tariq Panja reported the proposal was made by Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Association.
According to Panja, Alonso made the proposal by "reading out a prepared speech in English" toward the end of the video meeting, and his suggestion was reportedly met with "stunned silence."
Uruguay will host matches during the 2030 World Cup, which is also taking place in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina and Paraguay.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has overseen a series of significant changes to the organization's marquee event since taking his position in 2016, including instituting the historic 50 percent increase in the size of the World Cup field ahead of the 2026 event.
The 2022 World Cup featured 64 games, a number that will climb to a record 104 games during the upcoming North American tournament, as noted by ESPN's Dale Johnson.
The previous event in Qatar took place over 29 days, a number that will increase to 38 days given the expanded field in 2026. The tournament could stretch even longer if more teams were allowed to qualify.
The 2026 final will also feature the first halftime show in World Cup history, Infantino confirmed Wednesday. The event has the potential to increase the length of the championship match.
Infantino has also previously discussed the idea of playing the World Cup every two years instead of every four, although the concept has not moved forward.
