CONMEBOL president claims 2030 World Cup will be a '64-team tournament'

South American chief's claim

CONMEBOL president Dominguez sparked widespread speculation after claiming on social media that the

Leaders address tournament growth

In a post on platform X

Although there has been no official confirmation from FIFA on the matter, president Infantino previously indicated a willingness to evaluate further expansion. Speaking to Swiss broadcaster

"When you organise a World Cup, it's important that you organise it for the whole world. It's not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup.

"We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don't give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving."

Format changes alter calendar

The proposal to stage a 64-team World Cup would completely overhaul the tournament structure by featuring 128 matches, double the total of the classic 32-team format. This system would likely divide the opening phase into 16 groups of four, driving the group-stage fixture list up from 72 to 96 matches. Extending the competition to six weeks risks escalating calendar friction with the clubs, as players would need to commit up to two full months, including pre-tournament preparations.

FIFA weighs expansion hurdles

FIFA's governing bodies are scheduled to convene a series of internal committee meetings to thoroughly assess the feasibility of the proposed expansion. World football's authority faces a delicate balancing act between tournament commercialisation and a fierce pushback from player unions and clubs regarding athletes' workloads. A final verdict regarding the competition format is expected to be formally announced at an upcoming FIFA Congress.