FIFA plans to conduct a detailed assessment of a potential 64-team men’s World Cup following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament. FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated that the organization aims to ensure football remains inclusive for the entire world.

While a formal proposal for an expanded tournament emerged last year, Infantino believes the success of the current 48-team format provides a foundation to explore how a 64-team competition might function.

“That’s definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of expanding to 64 teams.

“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.”

Infantino described the first 48-team World Cup as “a huge success,” pointing to the fact that nine out of ten African nations reached the knockout stages.

“At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate.”

The FIFA Council previously approved the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in 2017.

The South American governing body Conmebol submitted an official proposal in April 2025 to increase the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, though no decision resulted from that request.

Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 tournament, with Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the competition’s centenary.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has dismissed the expansion plans, calling them a “bad idea” that would negatively impact the tournament and the qualifying process.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa expressed similar concerns, stating that further growth would lead to “chaos.”

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani also raised doubts, noting that the idea “doesn’t feel right” and suggesting it could harm the “broader football ecosystem.”

Conversely, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, suggested the United States could consider a bid for the 2038 World Cup and would be capable of handling a 64-team format.

FIFA maintains that it will discuss expansion concepts with stakeholders and remains obligated to consider proposals brought forward by council members.

The FIFA Council holds the authority to make the final decision, but no immediate verdict is expected.