FIFA President Gianni Infantino has indicated that plans for a 64-team men's World Cup could be formally reviewed after the 2026 tournament, stating that football should be "for the whole world."
Infantino has a history of expanding the World Cup. Upon his election in 2016, he advocated for increasing the number of participating teams from 32 to 40. This proposal was quickly revised to 48 teams and subsequently approved by the FIFA Council, taking effect from the 2026 finals.
Speculation about further expansion has persisted since then. A 48-team format was considered for the 2022 World Cup, but it was determined that Qatar could not host a tournament of that size alone. Hosting challenges increase significantly with tournament size.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be held across three countries, covering a large geographical area. For the 2030 tournament, matches are slated to be played in six nations: Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, along with centenary celebrations in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
It remains unclear how Saudi Arabia would manage a 64-team tournament, which would involve 128 games, if it were to host the 2034 World Cup. The expansion serves a dual purpose for Infantino: it provides more countries with an opportunity to participate in a World Cup, potentially seeing nearly a third of FIFA's 211 affiliated nations qualify. Additionally, a larger tournament generates increased revenue for distribution to member associations.