With the first 48-team World Cup approaching its conclusion, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is already considering further expansion for the 2030 tournament.

Infantino recently conducted an interview with Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, where he addressed the possibility of expanding the World Cup to include 64 teams.

“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said, per Blue Sport translation. “When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world—not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

The 2030 World Cup will officially be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Additionally, the tournament will hold three first-round matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to honor the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup held in 1930.

This centennial celebration will feature games across six countries on three continents. Infantino views this structure as an appropriate time to evaluate further expansion.

Infantino did not mention the potential revenue increases that more teams and matches would generate during the interview.

The World Cup just expanded

The current World Cup has reached its final four teams following the conclusion of the quarterfinal round. This tournament, hosted across North America, marks the first time the event features 48 teams and 104 matches.

Starting with the 1998 tournament in France, the previous seven World Cups included 32 teams and 64 matches. Previous iterations involved multiple expansions, growing from 13 to 24 teams between the inaugural tournament and the 1994 event in the United States.

Beyond the revenue from 40 additional games, this World Cup has proven successful on the pitch. It has delivered competitive matches and attracted significant interest, reflected by full stadiums and strong television ratings throughout the group stage and the first three knockout rounds.

Despite various controversies, the current tournament is considered a major success, providing a platform for Infantino to advocate for further growth.

Is further World Cup expansion a good idea?

Not everyone supports continued expansion. Much like critics of NCAA tournament and College Football Playoff growth in the U.S., detractors argue that adding more teams devalues the lengthy qualifying season and potentially diminishes the overall quality of the matches.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and FIFA vice president slammed the idea when a Uruguayan delegate first proposed it in 2025.

“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you,” Čeferin told reporters at a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia, per ESPN. “I think it is a bad idea.

“It is not a good idea for the World Cup itself and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well.”