FIFA World Cup trophy
FIFA is considering a proposal to increase the number of participating teams at the 2030 World Cup in Saudi Arabia to 64.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed the proposal in chats with journalists on Thursday.
The spokesperson said the idea “was spontaneously raised by a FIFA council member in the ‘miscellaneous’ agenda item” at the organisation meeting on Wednesday.
The FIFA representative added that the idea “was acknowledged” as the organisation “has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its council members”.
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The 2030 World Cup will be played in six countries across three continents. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will jointly host the 2030 World Cup with selected matches to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to make the tournament’s centenary.
The competition will follow the 2026 edition of the competition to be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first to feature an expansion of participating teams from 32 countries to 48.
According to the New York Times, the proposed 64-team expansion will be a one-off for the 2030 edition.
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The publication added that the idea was suggested by Ignacio Alonso, a Uruguayan delegate.
On Wednesday, Gianni Infantino announced that the 2026 World Cup final would feature a Super Bowl-inspired halftime musical show.
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