FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that football’s world governing body will consider the possibility of expanding the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament.
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino said discussions on the future format of the competition would take place once the current edition, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, is over.
The 2026 World Cup marked the first time 48 nations competed at the finals, following FIFA’s decision to increase the number of participating teams from 32.
Although the expansion faced criticism before the tournament, the competition has largely been viewed as successful.
According to Infantino, FIFA’s objective is to make the World Cup more inclusive by giving nations from every continent a realistic opportunity to qualify.
He said the tournament should represent the entire global football community rather than being dominated by traditional powerhouses from Europe and South America.
He added that allowing more countries to compete encourages football development and gives emerging nations the motivation to improve.
Infantino also praised the overall standard of the 2026 competition, noting that teams from every continent scored goals and earned points during the tournament.
He highlighted Africa’s strong showing, revealing that nine of the continent’s 10 representatives progressed to the knockout stage, compared to just five African participants at the previous World Cup.
He described the achievement as evidence that expanding the tournament has created greater opportunities for nations to compete at the highest level.
The World Cup was previously expanded from 24 to 32 teams in 1998. Looking ahead, the 2030 edition will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, while Saudi Arabia is set to stage the 2034 tournament.
